Wars and Weddings
by Lovin' Alice
Summary: Sookie's life is complicated by proposals and danger lurking in the sun and shadow. Watch as her powers grow and change with her new circumstances.
1. Chapter 1

*******This is my first fan fic and I would love some reviews. I have the next nine chapters in the editing process so they'll be added soon! I hope you enjoy my story and would love reviews!!!

I do not own these characters, Charlaine Harris does.

**Plans**

The past couple of weeks have been pretty hectic in Bon Temps. I was running Merlotte's for Sam since he'd left to take care of his mother following the shapeshifters' Great Revelation. Sam's step-dad, Don, had shot his mother after she changed in front of him. She had to have surgery to remove the bullet from her shoulder, but Sam says she's healing quickly. Don had been arrested but Sam's mom wasn't sure if she wanted to go through with a divorce. She was thinking that they would be able to work things out. I don't really see how you can work things out with someone after they've shot you though. Hopefully Sam will be able to come home in a couple of weeks.

While Sam is gone Tray and Terry are bartending and I hired Amelia to cover Arlene's shifts since she quit after the latest revelation. It wasn't necessarily hard to run the bar, it was just strange not having Sam here. He usually calls every night after closing to ask me how things are going. We also haven't had one FotS member come in since the night of the Reveal, which I personally think is fantastic.

I'd been putting in so many hours at the bar so I hadn't seen Eric in a couple months. With the long absence, it was no surprise when I began feeling suddenly warm and happy. I turned to look at the door and who else could it have been? Eric, the Viking vampire, had just walked into Merlotte's. He smiled at me and took a seat at one of my tables. So of course I had to go over to him.

"What can I get for you tonight, Eric?" I said with a smile plastered across my face.

"Just you, lover," Eric replied with a grin.

"I mean from the bar Eric, I'm working."

"A True Blood for now then. O negative please."

"Sure thing," I told him and spun on my heel to pull a bottle from the refrigerator behind the bar. I checked on my other tables while Eric's True Blood was warming up in the microwave and then I went and grabbed Eric's bottle and took it back to his table, shaking it to remove the hot spots. "Is there anything else that I can get you, Eric?"

"We need to talk, lover, tonight. I can wait for your shift to end."

"What is it that we need to talk about?" I asked him, already knowing the answer. He wanted to discuss what had happened between us when he had been cursed last winter. On New Years I had found Eric running down Hummingbird Road half naked. To my great surprise he had no clue who he was, so I took him home and kept him safe until we caught the witch who had cursed him. Pam 'convinced' the witch to reverse the curse, and I don't ever want to know how she did it but I was sure it was painful.

"We'll talk after your shift, lover."

"Fine. Are you going to be staying here until I close the bar then or would you rather meet at my house?"

"I'll wait here and if it's acceptable to you, I will accompany you home as well."

"Okay, but try not to cause any trouble." I spun on my heels to go and check on my other tables. It was only two hours until closing. That's not so bad, I thought. At least I feel relaxed with Eric here. The bar was pretty busy tonight and the two hours flew by. The next thing I knew Tray was yelling out last call and everyone started clearing out. Eric, of course, was still there at his table watching me intently. Tray locked the front door behind the last customer and grabbed Eric another True Blood for while we cleaned up, which didn't take long.

"Hey Amelia, Eric apparently has to discuss something with me and he's going to follow us home. You okay with that?" I asked her while we were getting our jackets and purses from Sam's office.

"Oh, okay. I was thinking of going over to Tray's tonight anyway. Then you can have the house to yourself, Octavia's still visiting family this weekend. I'll just let Tray know," Amelia told me as she walked out of the office and gave me a wink.

Great. Now I was going to be all alone in my house with a Viking. Alone with Eric. That hasn't happened in quite some time. When I came out of the office, Tray and Amelia were heading out the back door. I walked up to the front of the bar and Eric was still sitting waiting for me. "Okay I'm ready." I told him. He got up in one fluid movement and came over to me at Vampire speed.

"I'm right behind you, lover." He said, grinning at me.

So he followed me out of the bar and was leaning on my car while I locked the back door. He opened my door for me and then went around and got in on the other side. "So how's Fangtasia doing?" I asked as I started driving home.

"It's doing well since the calendars have come out. They're a big hit," he exclaimed with a big grin on his face.

"Yes, I bet they are," I said smiling. As a matter of fact I hadn't even had the need to look at the other pictures. I still had mine open to January, with Eric standing there in all his glory. Just thinking about it made me tingle all over. Great. I'm sure Eric is feeling the lust rolling off of me. Stupid blood bond. I snuck a glance at him and of course he was smiling and looking at me. Great. Just great. I could feel the heat in my cheeks.

"No need to blush, lover. I'm glad you enjoy the calendar." Eric said with a triumphant look on his face. I pulled around to the back of my house and we went in the back door.

"Can I get you something to drink, Eric?" I asked while I pulled out a bottle of water for myself.

"Yes, that would be nice," he paused for a moment while looking around. "The kitchen has turned out nicely." And then he strolled through the kitchen and down the hall. So I popped a True Blood into the microwave and hit start. I opened my water and took a drink while I was waiting. When the beeper went off I took the bottle out and shook it a bit. Then I followed my mysterious Viking into the living room.

Eric had made a fire and was sitting on the floor in front of it, with his shirt off. I think my heart literally skipped a beat, and as it did Eric looked up at me and smiled. I walked over and sat next to him on the floor. "Here you go, Eric," I said as I handed him the bottle. He really is magnificent. I sighed thinking back to the last time he sat here with his shirt off. Then I had to shake myself back into the present.

"So what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" I asked. I might as well get this over with right now. Eric thanked me for his True Blood and took a big drink.

"Well, there are a few things to discuss. First, the New King has requested my presence in Las Vegas next month and would like for you to join me. I'm not sure what it is about but he did say that he would make sure you were compensated for the time missed from your job. Do you think that you will be able to get the time off?"

Wow. Eric was actually _asking _me if I could get the time off! That was a first. Usually he just told me I would be taking time off and I didn't have much say in the matter, let alone much notice. And it's Vegas, who wouldn't want to go see that city at least once?

"Hmmm, well I suppose Sam should be back by then, and I did hire Amelia to take over Arlene's empty position. I don't think Sam will mind me taking a week off, and I've been working every day since he's been gone. Just let me know which days and I'll run it by Sam when I talk to him tomorrow. What about the plane tickets though, and where will we be staying?" I had money saved up but I would rather not use it unless it was absolutely necessary.

"That's all taken care of. We'll be flying on a private Anubis flight during the day and we have a special room at the Luxor. Will that be okay with you?"

"Oh great another pyramid!" Just what we needed. I hope nothing happens in _this_ one.

Eric laughed his great booming laugh, "Yes it is but this one is much larger with much better security. Especially for the floors that we will be on."

"Okay then, I'll try not to worry too much." However, I would be keeping a very close watch on things while we are there.

"Excellent," he replied. "Now, I was thinking that we should talk about what's happened between the two of us before we leave for Las Vegas. We wouldn't want to let the new King know that there is any weakness in our relationship."

"Why would it matter to the new King?" I asked and then I saw the answer. "Oh…you think he'll try to keep me in Vegas, don't you?"

"That is certainly a possibility. However if he sees that we are in a _committed_ relationship and that our bond is solid then it won't be a possibility for him to force you away from me," he explained with all seriousness.

"You said _committed_, what exactly do you mean by that?" I asked because I wanted to be crystal clear on what his point was.

"A holy bond, marriage for example," he explained easily.

"Marriage!" I exclaimed. I knew it was coming but I was still shocked.

"Sookie, I don't want you to think that I'm asking this of you simply because I want to protect you. I am asking this of you because I do love you and I know that you love me. What I propose is that you allow me to court you so that we can get to know one another better before you make a decision about a further commitment." he was looking at me with a hopeful gleam in his eye.

I was starting to get flustered just thinking about that. Eric wanted to "court" me. I giggled out loud, I loved the way he spoke sometimes.

"You find it amusing that I wish to court you?" he looked crestfallen.

"Oh no, Eric, that's not it at all. On the contrary, I'm very flattered…"

"I feel a 'but' coming in here," he interrupted me.

"I would love to date you," I replied to him. "But Eric I want to be a mother at some point. I'm not saying right now, but that's one of the things that I want. Now don't laugh at me or anything but I have put a great deal of thought into this," I took a deep breath to calm myself. "Of all the men that I know in my life you are the one I would choose to have children with. And the thing that gets me the most, is that I know vampires can't have children!"

"Oh dear heart, I am much honored that you think I am worthy to father your children," he paused looking at me. He looked as if he was contemplating something. "I want to give you everything that your heart desires, Sookie. And if you desire _my_ children then I will do everything in my power to see if it is possible. There has not been significant testing done in the area of vampires having children with someone who is part fae before. It may be a possibility since our situation is quite unique. A vampire has never before been able to try to procreate with a fairy before. Of course a full fairy's blood is intoxicating to us," he stopped for a moment thinking of something else.

I was sitting in shock. Did I really hear Eric right? That he would want to have children with me if that was possible. I had a million thoughts running through my head. Is there a fertility doctor out there who would even take us on? Would they want to try and help a vampire create a part vampire? No I couldn't think of one that would think that would be appropriate. And besides, we've had sex plenty of times and I never ended up pregnant so I couldn't let my hopes get too high. It wasn't going to be possible. But oh how I wanted to have Eric's children. And I saw a picture of our family, little blond haired, blue eyed children running around and playing with their daddy. I felt like I was on cloud nine.

Eric pulled me into his lap. "You are more important to me than you realize. I want nothing but to make you happy in life. I will find a way, lover. I will never give up."

I took a deep breath and looked into his deep blue eyes. And what I saw there was breathtaking. He wanted to be a father, and he wanted to make me happy. He was telling me the truth, this was the real Eric. "Eric… what do we do first?"

"We'll call Dr. Ludwig and see if she would be willing to run tests on both of us to see if there's anything that we can do. If the tests all come out negative, perhaps Niall can help us with his magic. I will do whatever it takes Sookie to see if I can give you the children that you want."

I was shocked that Eric had suggested going to my great-grandfather. "Can his magic really help with this kind of thing?"

"Fairy magic is very powerful. It can have affects on many different things; it would be worth a try if Dr. Ludwig is unable to find a way to help us."

I was thrilled that Eric was willing to go through all of this just to make me happy, but that would mean I would have to make the decision about marrying him sooner rather than later.

"Perhaps you would like to know more about me before you make that decision?" Eric asked me. I had always wanted to know more about Eric, but all vampires tend to keep that to themselves. I especially wanted to know details from before he was turned.

"Well…" I began, "I have always wanted to know more about your life before you were a vampire." I said to him feeling hopeful that he would be willing to share a few stories with me tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

***Thank you for all the great reviews! I am going camping this weekend so it may not be until Monday night until I can upload more chapters. I got this one in as I am walking out the door. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter also.

I do not own these characters, Charlaine Harris does.

**The Past**

"I don't have a lot of memories from my human days. It has been a very long time Sookie. You know I was a Viking. My father was a Chieftain, but we were also farmers. I was the eldest son. I had two younger sisters and a younger brother. Our village was called Stöng, and we lived in what they call Longhouses. I was married and my wife had four children, but one of my sons died when he was very young. He was born early and we thought he would make it. He was very strong for being so young." Eric had a far-away look in his eyes. He was lost in the memory that was a thousand years ago. "It was not uncommon in those days to lose children, but it was still difficult. I had one surviving son and two daughters. My girls looked just like their mother, and they were so full of life.

My father had decided to sail across the channel to pillage some small villages on the coast. Our boats could sail in very shallow water so it was relatively easy for us to take villages on the shorelines."

Eric looked over to me to make sure that I was following his story so I nodded.

His story continued, "When we arrived at one village, Reykjavík, we realized that we were not the first to come to this village. It had been plundered recently. My father wanted to know who had beaten us there so we decided to search the village for any signs of another clan. Everyone in the village had perished and we commenced to disposing of the bodies. It took all day.

"Night was beginning to fall and we had decided to stay in the village through the night. The main longhouse was still undamaged so some of the other men went in and started a fire. Everyone had their own tasks when we set camp for the night. I was gathering wood to keep the fire going when I saw a fresh mound of dirt in the woods. This was very unusual since we hadn't been digging in the woods.

"It was when my back was turned that I heard a rustling in the trees. I turned around saw my maker digging himself out of the earth. I had been told legends growing up of the 'night walkers'. I had been told when I was a child that the Night Walkers slept in the earth and only fed on humans. They were to be feared, they were demons.

"I drew my sword and prepared to fight. My maker laughed when he saw my futile preparation. We battled, and it seemed that I held him at bay for a time. Then, unexpectedly, he straightened and told me that he had no desire to kill me; that I was special. I did not lower my sword while I tried to comprehend what he had said. I knew that he could kill me in an instant and before I could blink he had me on the ground, draining me.

"After three days of sleeping I rose and I knew what I had become. My maker,Dagr, was in the village waiting for me. He taught me all that I know. We instantly set off traveling, we always had to travel to keep from being suspicious. The population then was very small so we usually fed on travelers at night and stayed away from settlements. Dagr let me go on my own after a few years to see how I would do on my own. After about ten years I didn't long to see my family as much and I was set off on my own for a while."

I was in awe of my Viking. "Eric, you were a husband and a father. It must have been so difficult for you to leave them." It was so nice not to know the end of story before it was done being told. And I had the opportunity to actually ask questions!

"It was, but I feared for their safety. I would not have been able to live with myself if I had brought harm to them. I stayed by myself most of the time. I only met a few of my kind in the early years, Sophie Anne and Andre were a couple of them. I knew then that we would cross paths many times."

"Did you ever check on your family?"

A faint smile appeared on his face, "Yes I did. I found out that my father died shortly after he left me in Reykjavík. My wife was the Chieftess until my son was old enough to be a Chieftain. My wife never re-married. She took care of our home and raised our children. Of course the clan was close-knit and helped her often.

"My children were very prosperous. My son became a great warrior and eventually a great Chieftain of our clan. My two daughters married. They were trained well with our weapons so that they could defend themselves if the village was attacked. I did not want them to be defenseless as the women in the other villages had been. My daughters were quite talented and they took great pride in their combat skills.

"They passed on their training to their daughters, and female combat became a new way for my people. Not only were the young boys taught weaponry, but the girls also. Our villages were always well defended." Eric was smiling, he looked so proud, as he should.

Then his face fell suddenly as another memory came to mind.

He continued his story, "I was in a different village one night. It was winter, and I overheard the Chieftain talking to some of his men about attacking Stöng. My wife had passed on two winters before, but my children were still there—though full grown by this time. With families of their own.

"I returned to my home that night and paid a visit to my son, warning him of what was to come. He thought it was a dream or a vision of sorts, but he heeded my warning. The next day he readied the village for an attack.

"The enemy arrived at dusk. The fighting had already begun by the time I rose and I was able to join them. My son was in the midst of the fight, and my daughters were fending off men who were trying to overtake the homes. I was about to go help my daughters with their battles but then I saw a man sneaking up behind my son. I reached them just as the man's sword was coming down on my son's neck and I ran him through with his own sword. My son saw me and he recognized me for what I was. Then he thanked me and turned back to the battle.

"I then went to assist my daughters. Though they were doing quite well on their own, but still I thought it best to make sure they were safe. They too recognized me and tears welled up in their eyes, but they did not fear me. They were so strong and the village was able to completely fend off the attackers.

"I said good-bye to my children and told them that I was sorry for having to leave them when they were young. I let them know how proud I was of what they had made of their lives. They understood that I could not stay."

"That is incredible Eric," I was sitting there in awe. I could picture him in battle of course. I've even heard his war cry, which brought something else to mind. "Can you teach me your language?" I was thinking on strategy here. How many people know ancient Viking right. It could come in extremely handy if we needed to communicate in a crowded area.

"If that is something you would like, of course. No one has ever asked to learn my language before. I taught Pam because I felt it was a necessity. I would be happy to teach you."

"Thank you Eric. I would really like that, and it could come in really handy in Vegas if you teach me some before we leave."

"I had never thought of that lover. That could come in quite useful. How about we start on your next night off?"

"Actually I don't know when I will have a night off. If you're willing to come up here after my shifts we could start tomorrow." I didn't really want him to have to drive all the way up here every night, but I wasn't going to have any nights off until Sam gets back.

"Of course, it slipped my mind that Sam is still away. I can come back up in a couple of days, but I do have some meetings tomorrow. And of course I will have to call Felipe to let him know that you will be accompanying me to Vegas."

"Okay then. I guess I should try and get some sleep then." I really was quite tired and I had to do inventory in the morning and put in an order for supplies.

"Would you care for me to stay here, or would you rather I take my leave now?"

"I would love for you to stay, but I'm afraid that if you do I won't get much sleep and I have to go to Merlotte's in the morning." I was really hoping that he would understand and not be offended.

"Yes of course, lover. I shall call you tomorrow evening if that is acceptable."

"You can call me anytime you would like, Eric. I am always happy to hear from you." And I really did mean that, though I was hoping that it wasn't just the blood bond that made me feel this way. I would have to remember to ask him about that some time, but tonight it was late and I really did need to get some shut-eye. We said good-night to each other on the porch and he brushed his lips with mine before he flew off into the night.

I wanted to call him back as soon as he was gone, but I knew I couldn't so I went back inside and locked the doors behind me. Then I went and got ready for bed. I was too tired to shower tonight.

***Reviews are very exciting so keep them coming!!!! :) ***


	3. Chapter 3

****I just want to say Thank you to all of the reviews, I love them! I hope you enjoy this next chapter, it isn't very long but the next chapter should be along soon! Thanks to my SIL and Mel for editing for me. I love you girls!

I don't own the Sookie characters, Charlaine Harris does.

**Good Deeds**

I woke the next morning to Amelia knocking on my door. "Sorry to wake you Sookie but you told me yesterday that you wanted to do inventory today."

"Thanks Amelia," I didn't realize how late it had gotten.

"I started a pot of coffee, I thought you might need some."

I opened my door and saw Amelia already dressed with a cup in her hand. "You're a life saver." She grinned at me and we walked down the hall into the kitchen. It smelled amazing so I poured myself a cup, and sat down at the table with Amelia.

Over our coffee, Amelia asked me, "So what did Eric want to talk to you about?" She was broadcasting loud and clear as always, dying to know what happened last night.

"The new King wants me and Eric to go to Vegas next month, but he hasn't said what for. Eric thinks he may want to persuade me to move there to work for him full time or something. And… he asked me if I would date him."

"Shut Up!" she squealed, "Eric actually asked if he could date you!" She was in shock but thought that we were a good match for each other.

"Actually he asked if he could 'court' me," I giggled remembering how silly it sounds. Amelia laughed right along with me.

"Vampires really do get stuck in old languages, don't they? But it's sweet." Amelia was hoping that I told him yes.

"I did, accept, that is." It was hard to keep her thoughts out of my head in the morning. She didn't look as if she minded today though. "Sorry, it's hard to keep up a shield early in the morning," I apologized anyway. Even though it was my house and I shouldn't have to work so hard when I was at home, especially when I had to do it all day when I was working.

"It's okay, that's what I get for living with a telepath." She was grinning. She was kind of getting used to it.

I laughed, "Alright, I guess I should go shower and head over to the bar. Are you coming with me?"

"Sure, Tray is working on a couple of bikes this afternoon so I might as well keep busy."

"Alright, I'll be out in a few minutes." Then I headed off to my room to shower and dress. It was a nice sunny day today, though a little chill was in the air. So I chose to wear my black slacks and the short sleeve Merlotte's shirt. I pulled my hair up in my normal pony tail, did my makeup, and was ready to go. As we were leaving I decided to grab my jacket just in case I needed it later, which I probably would.

When we arrived at the bar Terry was already there. I parked in my usual spot and we went in the back door. "Hi Terry, how are ya today?" I asked him hoping he was going to have a good day today.

"Hi, I'm doing good today, how about you girls?" He really did look good today and his thoughts seemed relatively calm. For Terry, at least.

"I'm doing good, just going to do some inventory and put in a couple of orders today." We went off to put our things in Sam's office and then get to work. I decided to do the bar first that way we wouldn't be in Terry's way when we opened for lunch. We had been pretty busy since the were's had shown themselves to the world. Everyone in Bon Temps had heard what had happened that night so the gossip was really good right now. Which is great for business, but because of all the business our inventory has been running low.

I was entering the orders into Sam's computer when I heard Terry unlocking the front doors for the lunch crowd. I wasn't actually working the lunch shift, Holly was, but I hadn't heard her come in yet so I decided to go check. I wouldn't want Amelia working alone. As I was walking out to the front, Jason and Hoyt were walking in for lunch.

My brother had come in a few times with his date from the other night. She was unaware that Jason was a werepanther. He had been bitten instead of born, so he doesn't transform fully which really goads him. I was worried for him at the beginning, thinking that it would depress him, but he surprised me. He really loves that he can transform at the full moon though he envies the others that do transform fully. His wife—who's pregnant—just cheated on him. I was pretty sure that they would be getting divorced, but I think he should wait to start dating until the divorce is final. But it's not really my business, so I was steering clear of that one.

"Hey guys, how's your day?" I decided to ask them both so I wouldn't sound rude. Jason looked startled that I had directed a question towards him.

"Doing good," they both answered with a grin. I smiled back with a little nod. I looked over to the bar and saw that Holly was, in fact, here already. I must have missed her.

"Hey, Holly. How's it going?" I asked. She seemed a little distracted.

"It's going," she replied and then walked over to ask Jason and Hoyt—whom she was dating—what they wanted for lunch. She was trying to keep her thoughts to herself but when she saw Hoyt, it came through loud and clear. She was pregnant, and she wasn't sure how to tell Hoyt. She knows what type of guy he is and she didn't want him to feel obligated to marry her. She wanted to marry him but not because she was pregnant. She truly loved him. I sometimes really hate knowing things like this because I also knew that Hoyt wanted to marry Holly, he was just afraid that she would say no. I always wanted to help in these situations. Then I had an idea. Holly was on her way back to the kitchen to put her order in and I followed her back.

"Hey Holly, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," but she was looking apprehensive. She knew that I was a telepath.

"Normally I don't get involved in people's lives, but this time I just can't bring myself to look the other way without saying _something_. I'm really truly sorry, but I heard what you were thinking a minute ago and I think I might be able to help, if you want me to that is." I didn't want to come off as pushy or nosey but I thought maybe with this situation I could help.

"Well Sookie, I guess that depends on what you want to do and what you know exactly." She was looking apprehensive.

"Okay, I know that you're pregnant, and I know how much you love Hoyt. I also know that he really loves you and wants to marry you, he's just scared that you'll turn him down if he asks." They're both such wonderful people, they deserved to be together.

"He really wants to marry me?" Holly was trying to decide what to say to Hoyt.

"Yes he thinks about it all the time. He already has a ring, he's just nervous. He doesn't want you to say no." In fact that ring was burning a hole in his jeans pocket as we spoke. It had been there for a few weeks now.

"Okay, thank you Sookie. He's been worried about me lately so I better talk to him soon." And she went to go get the order from the kitchen. Well, I had done a good deed for the day, so I figured I should get back to work and finish up the inventory. I was just heading back into the office when Terry called me up to the bar. When I turned the corner I saw why. There was a huge bouquet of flowers on the bar with a couple of very distinct flowers in it. It could only be from one person. Eric. They were the same flower that he had given me while I was in the hospital after I had been attacked by a gang of werewolves in my house. I felt my mouth pulling at the corners, my Viking. I went over and pulled the card out, it was in Eric's hand writing, "You are my last thought before I sleep, and the first thought when I wake. E."

"Awww how sweet," Amelia said as she read the card over my shoulder. I smiled back at her then took the flowers into Sam's office.

We were busy again that night but that just made the work go by faster. I got home about three in the morning and was getting ready to fall into bed when my little shiny red cell phone rang. I saw the caller I.D. and a smile bubbled to the surface. "Hello Eric, how's your evening?"

"Hello, lover. My evening is going well. Felipe is happy to know that you will be joining me in Vegas next month. How was your day?" I could hear the music from the club in the background so I knew he was still at Fangtasia.

"My day went well. Thank you for the flowers," I had almost forgotten about them.

"I'm glad you liked them. Did anything else happen today?"

"No it was pretty uneventful. I just did inventory this afternoon and put in some orders for supplies, then I worked the dinner shift and closed up. Did you already have your meetings?"

"I had the first one earlier, and I have another one in an hour. I'm sure you are tired after working all day. I'll let you go so you can get some sleep."

"Thank you for understanding. I am pretty tired. Enjoy the rest of your night," I said as I was yawning.

"Sleep well lover. I'll call you tomorrow night." And then he hung up. I turned off my light and climbed into bed, a smile still plastered to my face.

***I LOVE reviews so please leave me some!***


	4. Chapter 4

***Thank you again for all of your reviews. And thanks again to Mel and my SIL for editing the chapters for me. I hope everone enjoys this chapter. And as always I do not own the Sookie characters, Charlaine Harris does.***

**News and Work**

When I got up in the morning the sky was overcast and carried the crisp smell of rain. I had talked to Sam last night before I left the bar. His mother was healing quickly and he thought that he would be home next week. I told him about the trip to Las Vegas next month and he was concerned for my safety but told me that I could have a month off if I wanted it. I told him I wouldn't do that, I enjoy working for Sam, he's a good boss.

I decided to get up and go make some coffee and breakfast. I made pancakes and sausage and Amelia came downstairs just as I was getting ready to go see if she wanted any.

"Smells good, do you need me to do anything?"

"Nope, I just finished," I said as I started dishing up a couple of plates. Amelia poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Octavia called me last night. She's on her way back today."

"Okay," I said handing her a plate.

"So how's that tall, blond Viking of yours doing?" she said, cocking an eyebrow at me.

"He's doing good. We talked on the phone last night but he's been busy with meetings. He didn't say if he was coming up tonight or not," which I suddenly found strange. I found myself hoping that he would because, I really did enjoy him being near me. "How's Tray doing?" I asked, derailing that train of thought. I hadn't seen him in about a week and I hoped they were still doing alright.

"Tray's fantastic," Amelia had a huge smile on her face. I heard it before she said it but I kept my face straight, she'd been waiting all morning to tell me herself. "He asked me to move in with him!" She was practically jumping out of her seat.

"Amelia why did you wait so long to tell me!" I exclaimed. I was so excited for her.

"I don't really know, I guess I was just waiting for the right moment," she said.

"That's fine, as long as this is what you want. If you're happy, I'm happy," I explained. "So have you guys decided when you'll be moving in with him? Are you still going to work at Merlotte's or do I need to find a new waitress…again?"

"We haven't decided when yet, but I'll still work at the bar. I enjoy it there. Besides, I wouldn't want Tray to think he had to support me financially." Amelia was pretty proud that her father didn't support her and she wanted to keep something of her 'freedom' as she called it in her head.

"That's good. I hate having to hire new people," I was grinning from ear to ear. "What am I going to do when Octavia moves out?"

"I could think of a few things," Amelia said as I was getting mental images of Eric. I laughed and shook my head. She had no clue how close her mental images were to what Eric and I had already done in this house. I could feel my cheeks warming as I thought of the past.

Amelia started on the dishes so I decided I would go take a shower and get ready for the day. I was on my way to my room when I heard a car pull up outside. I went and opened the front door to see a delivery van in my driveway. The lady pulled out a magnificent bouquet of white Lilies. They sparkled in the sunlight, and they were breathtaking. I signed for the flowers and then placed them on my coffee table.

"Well those sure are something," Amelia said as she came into the room. "Are they from Eric?"

I took the card out of the little plastic holder and read it. "I hope you have a wonderful day, until we meet again, E." He was really trying, and I loved it.

"He's being so sweet. That's a good sign," Amelia nodded appreciatively.

"Yeah, it is a great sign," I said smiling, then I went to find my phone to leave him a voicemail. After that I showered and dried my hair. I didn't have to go to work for a while so I sat down with a book. It was one of Amelia's and it was really good. It was about a girl in high school who falls in love with a Vampire. But the Vampires in the book weren't like my Vampires. They don't sleep and they can go in the sun, but they don't because they sparkle. I know it sounds strange but it is a pretty good book, it just sucks you in.

I had read quite a few chapters when the phone rang. I reached over to grab it and noticed on the caller I.D. that it was Holly.

"Hey Holly! What's up?" I asked her.

"Hi Sookie, I was wondering if you would be willing to come in an hour or so early so me and my mom can go look at some wedding invitations?" she asked me.

"I sure can, I'll see you in about an hour," I told her as I glanced at the clock. That would give her an extra couple of hours to look at wedding stuff.

"Thanks so much, it is a huge help," she said before hanging up and going back to work.

I marked the page I was on and then went and got ready to go into Merlotte's.

When I arrived the parking lot was surprisingly empty. It had been a while since we had a slow day, but I pulled around back like always and went in the back door. I was putting my purse in the drawer in Sam's desk when Holly came in. "Hey Holly were we very busy today?"

"Only at lunch time, it's slowed down since then. My last table just left so you're all set. I really appreciate you filling in for me today Sookie. I just can't believe the wedding is in three weeks! There's still so much work to be done," I could tell how overwhelmed she was getting.

"No problem, have fun with your mom," I told her as I put on my apron. She smiled at me then grabbed her purse and headed out the back. I called Sam and told him the date of the wedding. It was the second weekend in November. Sam said to tell Holly that he would set up an open bar for her and cover the costs. It was his gift to her since she had worked here for so long. I made sure I called her cell to let her know before I went up to the front to start working. I also found out that she was registered at Target and made myself a note to get on-line tonight and order something so it would arrive before the wedding.

I had cleaned all my tables and re-filled all the salt, pepper, catsup and mustard bottles before we got one new customer. It was Calvin Norris. He nodded to Tray and sat down at one of my tables. I went over and got his order then headed up to the bar. I glanced over at him while I waited and saw that his eyes were closed. His mind was pretty quiet, but then again it was usually more difficult to hear shifters minds. But still, it was quieter than it usually is. I grabbed his mug and went back over to his table feeling just a bit concerned.

"Hey Calvin, are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine, Sookie, just a little tired." He smiled at me and he got those little wrinkles around his eyes. Calvin's eyes are always full of so much emotion, but they looked vaguely empty today.

"Okay, you just holler if you need anything else," I said as I patted his shoulder once before leaving him to his thoughts. After a little while Calvin said good-bye and went home.

It was strange being so slow tonight since we had been so busy lately. We were all doing some extra cleaning when I felt the familiar warm glow start. Eric was close. I was already grinning when Eric came in. I saw Amelia wink at me from the corner of my eye. Since it was still so empty tonight, I decided sitting down with Eric for a minute wouldn't hurt anything. I warmed a bottle of True Blood and took it over to him.

"This is a nice surprise," I said sitting across from him at the small table.

"I hoped you wouldn't mind if I came to see you tonight. I'm glad I did since it looks like you've been bored," he replied chuckling.

"Yeah it's been really slow tonight. So how's everything at Fangtasia?"

"Business is going well, Pam is working tonight." I could tell he had something on his mind but I didn't ask, I figured he'd tell me when he was ready.

"Okay. So did you have anything planned for tonight?" I wasn't really sure what to say to him.

He had a sly look on his face when he answered, "I've had a few thoughts on what to do with my evening." Well I could only imagine what some of those thoughts would be, and I could imagine that some of the same thoughts had run across my mind. However I wasn't going to go down that road again so quickly. Eric was going to have to work to get back into my bed again.

"What are you thinking about, lover? I've seen many emotions cross your face just now."

"It's nothing we're going to discuss right now, Eric," I explained to him as I looked around the bar. We had been dead quiet all night so I was thinking perhaps I could sneak out a little early tonight. "Will you excuse me for a moment?"

"Of course lover, I know you are here working," he said as he nodded his head to me.

"Thanks," I got up and went over to the bar to talk to Amelia and Tray. "Hey guys, what do you think of closing up a little early tonight? I'll call Sam first to make sure it's okay with him, but with us being so slow, I don't think he'll mind."

"Sounds good, as long as Sam's okay with that," Tray said looking over to Amelia who was nodding in agreement. They were both thinking about having the extra time together, alone. Okay putting my shields back up, I didn't need the mental images.

"Great, I'll go call Sam," I said grinning as I was already headed down the hallway to the office. Sam answered on the first ring. "Hi Sam, we've been really slow and we were wondering if you would mind if we closed up a little early tonight?"

"How slow have you been?" he asked.

"Calvin Norris came in and had one beer, and Eric came in and had one True Blood," I answered knowing that with only two customers all night he would let us close up early.

"Only two people all night! Yeah go ahead and close up. No reason to be there all night if nobody's coming out. Just put a note on the front door saying we closed up early, just in case someone stops by."

"Sure thing boss," I said grinning. We said good-night and I went to tell the others to go on home. I put a note on the front door like Sam had asked and locked up. Then I turned to Eric, "So what would you like to do this evening?" And as I finished the sentence I knew I had said it all wrong.

Eric grinned mischievously, "You," he stated simply.

"Ah, no, not tonight anyway. You'll have to earn that privilege. And a couple of phone calls and some flowers aren't quite enough." I said smiling and hoping that he would understand.

"I thought you would say something along those lines," he said with a smile. "And I am okay with that, in fact I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

"Good," I said smiling to him. He followed me out the back of the bar and opened my car door for me.

"I'll follow you home, lover," he said to me as he closed my door and then he was gone in a blink of an eye. As I pulled out of the parking lot, Eric's corvette pulled out behind me.

~~~I love reviews so please send me some! Rest assured there is more Eric in the next chapter!!!~~~


	5. Chapter 5

***I decided not to make everyone wait for this chapter. I hope you all enjoy it, and as always I thank Mel and my SIL for helping me with this story. And Charlaine Harris owns these characters.***

**Movie Night**

As I was driving home I kept glancing in my rear view mirror and smiling to myself. I was so glad that Eric had surprised me tonight. I found that I had to stop myself from getting in my car and driving to Fangtasia a few times since we last saw one another. And it had really only been a few days.

As I turned onto my driveway I was reminded once again that Eric had gotten it re-graveled for me and my smile grew. Eric had done so many things for me, including taking a couple of bullets for me. I really was lucky to have him in my life.

When I pulled around to the front of my house I noticed Bubba was sitting on the front porch so I decided not to pull around back. I put my car in park and turned out the lights, grabbed my purse and headed for the porch to greet the former King.

"Hi Bubba, how've you been?" I asked as he gave me a hug. It had been a while since the last time I had seen him.

"I'm doing very well Miss Sookie," he said, grinning that famous crooked smile of his. Bubba had been Elvis when he was human. But when he was turned there were a lot of drugs in his system so, as a vampire, he's never been quite right in the head. For instance, he prefers cats to humans. But he's always been very nice to me.

"Hello, Bubba," Eric said as he walked up to the porch and joined us. "Has everything been quiet here?" So Eric had Bubba sitting at my house while I was away. I looked at Eric and gave him a look telling him to fill me in on why he was having Bubba watch over my house. He gave me a slight nod to let me know that we would talk inside so I went inside while Eric and Bubba finished talking. I decided I would change into some warm pajamas since it was starting to get chilly outside.

I was in my bathroom changing in to some pink pajama pants with tiny snowflakes on them when I heard Eric come in the front door. I put on my pale pink pajama shirt and went into the kitchen to heat up a True Blood for Eric and make some hot coco for myself. When I was finished I took both drinks out to the living room and found Eric starting a fire.

"Thank you. It's a little chilly in here," I said to him thinking of how cozy it felt to have Eric in my home again.

He turned and smiled to me, "I just want you to be comfortable this evening. I should let you know that Bubba is out in the woods keeping an eye on things for me. He'll be there most nights, until I feel more comfortable about our new situation."

"Which situation would that be? Is it our dating situation or the new regime situation?" I had a feeling it was the latter.

"A little of both, but mostly the new regime," he stated simply. "I know the new King very much wishes that he will be able to convince you to move to Las Vegas and assist him there whenever he needs you. I am slightly worried that he would perhaps force that decision on you somehow. And with us dating now I worry that perhaps someone could use you to get to me. It makes me feel more comfortable knowing that I have someone here keeping an eye on things in case something were to happen."

"Well if it helps you feel better, I am perfectly okay with Bubba in the woods. Would he like to sleep in my hidey hole during the day or does he prefer to go to ground?" If Bubba was going to have to spend his evenings in my woods watching my house I thought it only appropriate that I should offer him a safe place to sleep during the day.

"I have already set up a daytime resting place for Bubba over at Bill's house. He too will be keeping an eye on things. He still cares a great deal about you so I trust him to keep a close watch. Though I am somewhat concerned that he may make an attempt to win you back."

"Oh Eric, there's not a chance in hell that I would go back to Bill. He broke my trust too many times. Not to mention he always kept everything to himself, you are at least sharing your thoughts with me." I would never go back to Bill after everything that had happened. He may have loved me and he may still love me, but it doesn't matter anymore. He cheated on me and he seduced me because his Queen had ordered him to. It was just too much. I can forgive him and be a friend but there would never be anything more than that.

"I am quite certain that you wouldn't go back to Bill, I can feel what you feel when you are near him remember?" He was smiling at me. Right the blood bond. I smiled back at him.

"Yes I know, but I am never sure how strongly you are able to feel my feelings."

"Oh your feelings are usually quite strong. I can feel what you're feeling even when we are apart. Though I don't think you are able to feel mine unless I am near you."

"Yes, the closer you are to me the stronger the feelings become," then I started thinking more about the blood bond. But I didn't want to talk about the bond tonight, I just wanted to relax with Eric.

"What would you like to do tonight my love?" Eric asked me as he got up and sat down next to me on the couch.

"I was thinking a movie, maybe a comedy," I suggested snuggling in a little closer to Eric.

"I did actually bring a movie with me, have you ever seen 'Just Friends'?" he asked me.

"I have. It is really funny, but I don't own it." I had thought about buying it a little while back, but decided against it.

"I brought it with me," he said as he got up and picked it up from on top of my television. "Why don't you go fix yourself a snack while I start the movie."

"Sounds good," I said as I got up to go pop some popcorn.

"Okay lover, hurry back."

I was back in two minutes with my hot, buttery snack. Eric had put in the movie sat down on the couch. When I sat down next to him, he put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me in close.

It was good that I'd already seen the movie, because my mind kept wandering off. I was really enjoying my time with Eric, and I appreciated that he was trying to behave like a normal boyfriend would. But doubts kept creeping into my thoughts. This is Eric, not a normal man. Every time I go into Fangtasia, I can hear the thoughts of all the girls in the bar concentrating on how to snag Eric for themselves. It's a constant reminder of how desirable he is.

Then I found myself wondering if Eric would be satisfied with me as his wife, and not stray. If we really did get married I would have to have a little talk with him to make sure that he knew that behavior like that would be unacceptable. Would he be okay with monogamy? I truly hope so. I snuggled up closer to Eric and wondered what he was thinking about.

"Are you not enjoying the movie?" Eric asked looking down at me.

"I am. I just keep having sporadic thoughts," I explained, smiling to him. He leaned down and kissed the top of my head softly.

"Since when do you say 'sporadic'?" he asked me cocking an eyebrow.

"It was on my word of the day calendar," I said, feeling pleased with myself. Eric chuckled and shook his head slightly.

"So would you like to discuss your thoughts?" he asked.

"No. Not yet anyway," I replied simply. He just nodded and turned back to the movie, rubbing my arm. I shivered a little bit and he reached behind us and tucked my grandmother's afghan around me.

"Thanks," I told him curling a little closer to him. If I kept trying to get closer I was going to end up in his lap. I smiled just thinking about being in Eric's lap and I felt him give a small chuckle. Then he pulled me into his lap and kissed me. I wrapped my hands around his neck and the movie was soon forgotten altogether. We hadn't even noticed that the movie had ended until Eric's phone began vibrating. I pulled away and smiled at him, I was pretty sure it was Pam checking in. Eric apologized and then answered his phone. I was right, it was Pam. I got up and took my popcorn bowl back into the kitchen and washed it to give Eric some privacy for his phone call.

I was just putting the bowl away when Eric came into the kitchen.

"Would you like to go out to dinner with me sometime this week?" he asked me.

"That sounds great," I said smiling up at him. "Which night would be better for you?" I asked him. I knew I could always work a lunch shift during the week to get a night off.

"How about Tuesday, we have a band playing in Fangtasia that night. We could go to dinner and then listen to the band afterwards if that would be okay with you. Or if you would rather we could do the traditional dinner and a movie instead?"

"I would love to hear the band, Eric. I don't mind going into Fangtasia, as long as you don't mind going in while on a date."

"Fangtasia is like a second home to me, I don't mind going. The band is very good. They're a new group. Pam thinks they will bring in a lot of customers for a Tuesday night, and I'm a little anxious to see if she is right. If she is, perhaps we'll have the band come in for a weekend show."

"Sounds good to me," I said. He smiled at me then walked over and kissed me. As soon as our lips met my heart about jumped out of my chest. I could feel Eric smiling as he kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself closer to him. The next thing I knew I was sitting up on the kitchen counter. I wrapped my legs around Eric's waist and pulled him in closer. I could feel his desire for me and that made mine grow in turn. I threw my head back as he started kissing my neck and pushing himself closer to me. This was getting a little intense. And at this moment I really didn't care.

Eric came back up to my lips and started kissing me again. He started to take off my shirt but I had to stop him.

"Eric," I whispered to him. My body wanted to keep going but I knew we shouldn't. Not just yet.

"Yes lover?" he answered me with a ragged breath.

"Not tonight, okay," I said.

"You say one thing but I'm feeling something else entirely," he replied and started kissing me on the lips again.

I pulled away, "It's not that I don't want you Eric, but I want to do things the right way this time around. I want to get to know you better before we go further physically," I was starting to lose my resolution on this part of the deal. Eric was a very talented kisser, and his hands were still attempting to remove my shirt.

"Are you sure you really want to wait. I can tell you want me. Your body is practically screaming to me," he breathed in my ear as he continued kissing me down my neck.

"That's not really the point, Eric," I said as I pushed back from him and made him look at me. His eyes were glowing with lust.

"I believe it is the point. You know I wish to marry you and that I will do anything it takes to give you _my_ children. Why should we wait any longer? What would be the point of waiting after we already have made love many times?"

"I'm just not ready yet. Please try to understand. It's difficult for me after everything that's happened."

"Fine, if that is what you wish, I will not pressure you. I will wait patiently for you until you are more comfortable." Eric gave a little huff after that, I knew I was asking a lot of him to wait after he already knew we had made love, but I just wasn't ready to take that step with _this_ Eric.

"Do you want to leave now?" I asked quietly, though I was hoping he wouldn't. "I would understand if you did."

"If you would allow it, I would prefer to stay. Perhaps during the day also."

"I'm completely okay with that," I told him with a genuine smile. It was already pretty late and I didn't want him to have to rush to beat the sun home.

Eric picked me up and carried me to my bedroom and laid me in bed. Then he pulled the comforter up around me and laid down next to me on top of them.

"I don't want you to get cold lover," he explained when I looked questioningly at him. He then put his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. "Comfortable?"

"Very. Thank you for understanding." I was looking at his eyes, well as best I could. It was very dark in my room, but Eric had a slight glow so I could see him.

"I already told you that I will do anything to make you happy. And that includes celibacy. For now." He was smiling at me with a little fang showing. He was still in the mood, and to be honest so was I. I leaned up and kissed him softly on the mouth.

"Thank you for being patient," I said yawning. "Sorry," I apologized.

"You are tired. Lay back and go to sleep. I will make sure no harm comes to you."

"Good night, Eric," I almost told him that I loved him, but I wasn't sure I was ready to say it just yet.

"Sleep well, my lover." And he kissed the top of my head again. I closed my eyes and fell asleep in the arms of my Viking.

~~~Just so everyone knows it may be a little while before I post another chapter. I just started a new job and the first week is looking to be very busy for me. But I hope you all enjoyed these last two chapters. Send me some reviews please!!! :) ~~~


	6. Chapter 6

***Sorry it's been so long I've just been busy working. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and I'll try to get the next one up soon! As always I do not own these characters Charlaine Harris does. Enjoy!***

**Moving**

The next thing I knew it was daylight and I was alone in my bed. But there was a note on my pillow, so I unfolded it and read, "I hope you enjoy your day, I'll see you tonight. E." I found myself smiling. He really could be sweet when he wanted to. I reached out with my mind to see if anyone else was here, but it was completely silent. I was able to relax completely then. It was nice to have my house to myself.

I got up and made myself a pot of coffee and some oatmeal. After breakfast I decided I would get some laundry done before going into Merlotte's, so I went back to my bedroom and grabbed a load and hauled it out to the washer. Once that was done I did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Just as I was putting the laundry into the dryer Octavia pulled up out back in a truck with some guy.

"Hey Octavia, how have you been?" I asked her smiling. I heard from her male companion that he was a very close friend of hers from New Orleans.

"I've been doing well. This is my…friend Louis Chambers," she finished as she waved towards him smiling. "I'm going to be moving in with him," she explained.

"Oh," I exclaimed. That was sudden. "Hi Louis, it's nice to meet you," I said politely and flashing him a smile. "Can I get you something to drink?" I asked him, being a good hostess.

"A glass of water would be nice Miss Stackhouse," he replied with a smile. He stepped into the kitchen and had a seat at the table with Octavia.

"Coming right up," I said as I turned and grabbed a clean glass from the cupboard and filled it with ice water. "Here you go. You just let me know if there's anything I can do to help ya'll today." I offered, although I did have to go into Merlotte's later.

"What time do you have to go into work Sookie?" Octavia asked me from the hallway.

How'd she know I had to go into work? "Not for a couple of hours, I switched Holly for the lunch shift today," I explained to her.

"Would you be willing to help me box up some of my clothes for Louis to put into the back of the truck?" she asked me.

I started down the hallway to my old bedroom, "Of course," I said smiling. For the next hour I helped Octavia put her belongings into boxes while Louis loaded up his truck. She didn't have a lot of stuff here in the house, since the furniture was all mine. To be honest with myself, I was going to miss my roomies. It was nice to have someone else in the house with me. When we were done, Octavia gave me a hug and I hugged her back. I was really going to miss her.

"I'm going to miss you too Sookie," she said as she stepped back from me.

"Octavia, you seem to know what I'm thinking today," I told her.

"My dear, you were projecting," she explained to me softly while patting my arm. She wasn't patting me in a way that made me think she felt sorry for me, but more of a nurturing pat. She was letting me know she understood the news was a shock to me.

"I'm sorry, what did you say I was doing?" I asked her since I was still attempting to process the information she had already provided me.

"You're projecting your thoughts," Octavia said to me again. She pulled me down so I was sitting on the side of my old bed. "It seems your power has grown," she explained as she sat down beside me.

"Great. Just great! I'll just take _**all**_ the extra time and energy I have and learn how to control this 'new' gift." I rolled my eyes just thinking about how long it was going to take me. I looked over to Octavia and she was smiling softly at me.

"Sookie, feeling sorry for yourself won't help you now," she told me in a matter-of-fact tone. "It's really not surprising that your power is growing. I've met a couple of fae that could project their thoughts as well. Although they couldn't hear thoughts, at least not that I'm aware of."

Octavia was contemplating the possibilities of why the fae she had encountered had chosen not to disclose this information to her. "Well my dear," she said as she gave my leg a pat and stood up, readying herself to leave. "You must practice this new gift with Amelia. I'm certain she will be eager to assist you." She started to walk out of the room to leave me with my thoughts when she stopped and turned. "It can be extremely helpful to project your thoughts to others," she smiled warmly at me, "You should welcome this addition to your gift."

Gift. Yeah right. That's what everyone in the supernatural world calls it. Personally, I have always thought of it more as a curse. Maybe that was just because everyone close to me thought it was a bad thing. Perhaps I would feel differently if the people close to me hadn't thought of it that way. Maybe then I wouldn't feel like such a freak.

Now, if I could project my thoughts to Eric, and not to everyone else in the room, that could be extremely useful on our up-coming trip to Vegas. But then I would have to tell him that I was able to hear his thoughts on occasion. I sure hoped he wouldn't be too upset about that little tidbit.

"I'll talk to Amelia about it tonight," I told Octavia. She gave me a small nod then turned down the hallway. As I stood to follow, I found myself wondering if this was the first time I had projected my thoughts.

I stepped down into the kitchen and saw that Octavia and Louis were waiting for me. Louis thanked me for helping Octavia pack her things today, and at the same time I could "hear" Octavia answering my earlier question. This was the first time I had projected my thoughts that she was aware of. This information made me feel a little bit at ease. I let myself relax as Louis helped Octavia into his truck and then drove down my long gravel driveway.

When they were out of sight, I went and got ready for work. I was pre-occupied the rest of the afternoon with trying not to project my thoughts to those around me. I did attempt to project my orders to Tray a few times, but of course it didn't work. To be honest, I hadn't really expected it to since Tray is a shifter. It's more difficult to hear shifters so it would only make since that it would be more difficult to project to them as well.

I was just picking up an order for one of my tables when Amelia walked up to the bar to greet Tray before her shift started. Well, I thought to myself, at least I'll have a little more time to practice.

I dropped my order off at my table and made sure they didn't need anything else at the moment and then made my way over to the bar where Amelia was still sitting chatting to Tray.

"Hey roomie," I greeted her. "Did you talk to Octavia today?" I asked her to see if she knew that Octavia had moved out this afternoon.

"Yeah, she called me this morning and told me about Louis," she answered, but she had an air of caution around her.

"You okay?" I asked her. I didn't think she would be upset about Octavia moving out, especially since she was moving in with Tray.

"I'm not upset about Octavia," she said cautiously.

"Ah," I said and nodded my head as I finally understood. I was projecting without realizing it. I am _really_ going to have to learn to control that. I looked over to Tray who was looking a little confused by our conversation.

"I am willing to help you Sookie," Amelia told me as she swiveled her bar stool in my direction.

"Really! That would be great," I told her and I felt as if a 20 pound weight had just been lifted off my shoulders. I gave her a quick hug to show how much I appreciated the offer.

"No biggie. What are roomies for anyway?" she said hugging me back.

"You're moving out though, I don't want you to feel obligated in any way," I told her in all seriousness.

Amelia simply rolled her eyes at me, "If I didn't want to help you I wouldn't have offered."

Tray interrupted us, "What are you two talking about?" he asked while he was filling one of the sinks to start washing some glasses.

Amelia looked at me to see if I wanted to explain. I gave her a slight nod before turning to Tray. "I can project my thoughts now," I told him quietly so we couldn't be over heard.

"That's pretty cool, Sookie," Tray told me with an approving nod as he started washing the dirty glasses in the steaming water.

I grinned back at him, "Thanks, glad you think so. I tried to tell you my orders earlier but it wasn't working."

"Nah, it sure wasn't. The only time I heard you was when your lips were moving," Tray told me smiling.

"So Amelia, when should we start practicing?" I asked her.

"How about in the morning, I have to pick up some stuff to take over to Tray's house anyway so that will be a good time to start. Is there anything you need me to bring?" She was starting to go through a mental list of things that might assist us in this learning process.

"Nothing that I can think of, but if you think something might help, by all means, bring it along." I was looking forward to my evening with Eric, and tomorrow I'd try to figure out this projection thing.

"Okay I'll see you tomorrow. Go on home to your Viking. He should be waking up soon," she said winking at me.

"Thanks Amelia, I'll see you tomorrow. Night Tray," I said and waved as I headed back to Sam's office to give him a call before heading home.

It turned out that Sam would be back the following night. His mom had given up on working things out with Don, who was still in jail and had filed for divorce. She was being released from the hospital in the morning and I was glad to hear that Sam's mom was doing better. I knew it wouldn't take long since she is a shifter and they all heal much faster than normal humans. I grabbed my stuff and headed out the back door. The sun was just about to set, so I would make it home just as Eric would be getting up.

As I drove down Hummingbird Road, I was thinking about how I was going to control this projecting side of my telepathy and hoping that I would be able to learn to control it. It took me a long time to learn how to block out people's thoughts and I was hoping that it wouldn't take me as long to learn to project when I wanted to.

I turned onto my gravel driveway and made my way to my house. When I got there, I noticed some smoke coming out of the chimney. Eric must have already risen and started a fire. He was being really thoughtful lately and I was hoping that it wouldn't change. I pulled my car around back and went in the back door.

"Eric, I'm home," I called, and then realized that was pretty silly since I'm sure he heard me when I pulled onto the gravel from the street with his excellent hearing. I chuckled to myself thinking how normal I felt with him, even though he slept all day. Maybe some of the things that I had always thought held great importance didn't, in reality. Maybe it isn't important to have both of you awake in the morning making breakfast. Maybe what really mattered was how much you cared for each other.

I was walking down the hallway to the living room when Eric came into view. "Hello lover, how was your day?" he asked.

"It was good. Some things have happened and I would like to discuss them with you. I think it can be a huge help to us in Las Vegas, if we can figure it out in time." He was looking intrigued and motioned for me to sit on the couch.

"Let me just change and then we'll talk, okay."

"Of course lover. Would you like something to eat? I could make you some dinner, if you would like."

Well that's something. "You can cook?" I asked, probably sounding as astonished as I felt.

"Of course. What would you like?" he didn't look hurt that I was shocked by this bit of information, which made me relax a little.

"How about some grilled chicken and a small salad?" That's easy enough, I thought. How hard is it to grill some chicken and make a salad right.

"Coming right up," he answered and gave me a kiss before heading into the kitchen. It took me a minute to make the spinning stop so I could walk to my room without running into the walls, but a kiss from Eric is always worth a minor dizzy fit.

I decided to hop into the shower, since I could already tell this was going to be a pretty long night.

****I love the reviews so keep 'em coming! :)****


	7. Chapter 7

***Warning...I was watching old TV shows when I was writing this chapter!!! LOL So it is a little cheesy but I promise it gets better. :) I hope everyone enjoys it and thanks for all of the wonderful reviews!***

**Projecting**

When I got out of the shower I could smell the chicken that Eric was cooking for me and it made my stomach growl. I put on some pajama pants and a t-shirt and made my way to the kitchen. "It smells wonderful, is there anything you would like me to do?"

"All I need is a kiss and for you to sit down," Eric replied with a smile. How could I resist when he was cooking me dinner.

I walked over and wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a soft kiss. "Thank you for cooking me dinner," I said. I never expected Eric to cook for me.

"Of course, lover. You worked all day and you deserve to have someone cook for you. Now sit," he said pointing to the kitchen table. So I walked over and pulled out a chair and sat down in it. "What is it that you wanted to discuss?"

"Well, Olivia came by today and picked up her things and she told me that I was projecting my thoughts to her. It only happened a couple of times earlier, but then again this evening with Amelia. She agreed to help me try to reign in this new 'gift'," I explained to him.

"Well that is something isn't it," Eric replied. "Are you thinking that perhaps you may be able to project your thoughts to me?" he asked, turning to me and leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Well it is one idea. Mostly because we are bound so tightly now and I thought it might help in future situations. What do you think?"

"Well you are able to feel my feelings when I'm near. It might work when you are able to control it better." And then I caught a rare glimpse into Eric's thoughts, he was doubting it would work between us since he was a vampire. He was still unaware that I could hear his thoughts on occasion.

"Eric, how much do you trust me?" I asked him. If I was going to tell him that I could hear him sometimes, I wanted to test the waters first.

"Completely. We have nothing to hide from each other," he answered and he was telling the truth. I was no longer afraid to tell him my most guarded secret.

"I'm not sure how to tell you this but…" I took a deep breath and continued in a rush. "Occasionally I can hear your thoughts," I thought if I did it like ripping off a band-aid, if done quickly it doesn't hurt as much.

His eyes were as big as saucers, and looked whiter than usual, if that was even possible. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all. I could see him fighting off the shock of the news. "How long?" he asked simply.

"Since the night you asked Bill to bring me to Fangtasia to question your human employees about the missing money." I had heard a flash of his thoughts that night and they scared the hell out of me.

"I can see why you have never told me this. I am sure my thoughts scared you that night and I am sorry," he apologized.

I never expected an apology from Eric, and I certainly didn't need one. "Oh Eric, it's alright. We didn't know each other then and you were just trying to do what was right for you and your business. You're different now, no need to apologize."

"I am wondering if you are able to hear my thoughts more often now that we have the blood bond?" he asked me with a little furrow between his brows.

"Yes I have. It's still not often but it's more than it used to be. And it's usually only just a short flash of what you're thinking," I explained. I didn't want Eric to think that I could hear his thoughts like I could with other people.

"I see. Have you heard any other vampires?"

"Yes," I answered quietly.

"Who and when?" he asked me looking concerned.

"At the Summit I heard Henrik Feith. I told everyone there that I had heard the lawyer's thoughts but I lied. Also I heard the Stan Davis once when Bill and I were down there. And of course I've heard you a few times and that's all." I said it all as quickly as I could. I didn't know why I was so nervous telling Eric this, perhaps because it was my most guarded secret. If things had turned out differently between me and Eric I wouldn't be telling him at all.

"Well that's…interesting. You've been able to hear flashes as you call them before the blood bond," he was going to continue but I stopped him.

"Before our blood bond, yes. But Bill saved my life shortly after he met me, I had a lot of his blood and I think that's why I was able to get flashes of things." I wanted him to know that I had Vampire blood in me since the beginning that way he would know that it wasn't just _his_ blood that affected me this way.

"I see. Well that makes more sense. The more Vampire blood you ingest, the more often you can hear our thoughts, right?"

"It seems so," I said nodding my head.

"But you've never heard anything from Bill?" he asked me with an eyebrow raised.

"No, I haven't. That does seem kind of odd doesn't it?" Why hadn't I heard Bill, but then again I had never heard Pam either. I wonder what the difference is.

"Not necessarily, perhaps Bill doesn't have many thoughts," Eric said, smirking.

"That's a little uncalled for, don't you think?" I said to him. Bill had helped both of us on a number of occasions.

"I suppose it was, but it was still amusing," Eric replied to me, still grinning. Okay I had to admit it was funny. I could feel the corners of my mouth pulling up.

"Okay, well back to this projection thing I can do now. I have a theory. If I can hear your thoughts sometimes, perhaps you'll be able to hear my projections if you allow yourself to." I had a feeling that he was able to guard his thoughts around me.

"That is one theory. Why don't you try 'telling' me something now," he suggested. He didn't think it would work. I didn't know how to project on command so I just thought really hard on telling him to get me a drink from the fridge. He didn't budge.

"Anything?" I asked him hoping that he was ignoring me.

"No, nothing at all, not even a twinge," he said laughing. He was amused by this, he thought he was right. While he was laughing I got an idea.

"Kiss me NOW!" I thought as hard as I could. His laughing abruptly stopped.

"What the hell!" he exclaimed. I smiled in triumph.

"What did you hear?" I asked.

"You were screaming at me," he exclaimed.

"Yes but did you hear any words?" I asked maybe it didn't come through clearly enough.

"Kiss me now," he said quietly.

Now I was feeling quite smug. I had done it on command to a Vampire! Which had to be much more difficult than a human or even a shifter. "Yes, that's what I was trying to get you to hear."

"The first time also?" he asked.

"No the first time was just to get me a drink from the fridge," I told him. And then he went and grabbed me a Pepsi and popped it open for me.

"Thanks," I said. And then he kissed me.

"Did I get everything?" he asked smiling at me.

I laughed, "Yes you did," I said. "So do you think that I can project to you because of the blood bond or do you think I would be able to project to others too?"

"I believe you could probably project to some but perhaps not all. I don't think you would be able to do this with Bill if you've still never heard his thoughts. What about Pam have you ever heard her thoughts?"

"No I haven't."

"Hmm…" he said thinking. "Would you object to a plan of sorts, to test out our theory?" he asked me.

"Well that depends on what you want to do," I told him.

"Perhaps we could ask Bill to come over and you can try to project a thought to him. We won't tell him that you've heard thoughts from Vampires but we'll see if he can hear you," he suggested.

"I would be okay with that," I told him. I did trust Bill to be okay with that much at least. And with that Eric was on his phone with Bill.

"He'll be here in a moment," he said. I was just finishing my dinner when Bill came to the back door. He didn't knock, he just came in.

"Hi Bill, sorry to disturb your evening," I told him as I washed my dinner plate.

"I'm always happy to come over, Sookie," Bill told me. Of course he was. He was still trying to prove that he loved me. I didn't doubt that he did, but it was too late for us. I was in love with Eric and I was excited to see my future unfold with him. I looked over to Eric and could feel him mentally rolling his eyes.

"Hello Bill, thank you for coming over. We would like to try something and I would like you to know what it is that we're attempting before we start," Eric explained to him.

I looked back to Bill and he was looking somewhat apprehensive.

"What is it that you want to try with me?" Bill asked Eric, looking back and forth between Eric and myself.

"Sookie has come to realize that she can project her thoughts. She was able to make me hear her thoughts this evening but we are unsure if this is because of the blood bond we hold. We would like your permission for her to attempt to make you hear her."

Bill looked dumbfounded, and then he turned to me and nodded his head.

"Okay, it doesn't hurt or anything," I said laughing and taking a seat next to Eric.

"I trust you, Sookie."

"Ok. Just listen. Remember I'm not exactly sure how this works," I said.

"Okay, let's get started," Bill said, nodding to me.

I tried to just think it as a normal thought a few times and that didn't seem to get a response. So then I tried shouting thought, that didn't get anything. I was getting frustrated that it wasn't working. I thought about how I had gotten it to work with Eric, I had to scream it in my head for him to hear me. So I screamed to Bill to get up. But there was still nothing. I shook my head and let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"Well it's not really surprising since she is no longer tied to me," Bill said.

"Perhaps," Eric said with a furrow in his brow. He was thinking of something else though. "I am wondering if we could perhaps try with Bubba," he said looking between Bill and myself.

"Sure, why not. The more, the merrier," I said cheerily. I had never heard Bubba either, but then again I've never spent a lot of time with him. Eric walked to the back door and called out for Bubba to come inside. I watched as Bubba came sauntering out of the woods behind my house and walked into my kitchen.

"Good evening Miss Sookie," Bubba said giving me his famous crooked smile.

"Hi there Bubba, how's your night?" I asked him.

"Oh, you know," he said shrugging his shoulders.

"Okay Bubba why don't you have a seat," Eric suggested to Bubba. Bubba gave Eric a nod and sat down next to Bill. "Now Bubba, I don't want you to get upset but Sookie is trying to learn something new with her gift. She is able to project thoughts and we are curious to see if you will be able to hear her." Eric paused for a moment then continued, "We think it could be helpful if she is in trouble and you are near her."

"Okay Miss Sookie. Give it your best shot," Bubba said smiling to me. Well he seemed to be okay with it so I thought again as hard as I could, but Bubba just sat there.

"Anything?" I asked him, even though I already knew his answer.

"No Miss Sookie," Bubba replied smiling at me.

"Well it doesn't seem to work," I said looking over to Eric who nodded back. "It's not really surprising since I've never heard their thoughts."

"No it's not surprising," Eric agreed with me. "Thank you Bill. You may go. Bubba, take this True Blood and go back to the woods," Eric said, handing him a bottle. They both stood and left through the back door.

We were alone for the rest of the night. We did some talking and a lot of kissing. And when I got too tired to keep my eyes open, he put me in bed and kissed me good-night before going home for the day.

***Thanks to Mel and my SIL for helping me edit!!! Love you girls. And please send reviews!!!! Sorry it was a little on the cheesy side this time but it really does get better. :D***


	8. Chapter 8

***Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they belong to Charlaine Harris.***

**Practice**

The next morning Amelia arrived bright and early. "Let's get started," she said brightly to me.

"Okay, okay," I responded, getting out of bed. "Let me get dressed."

"I'll be in the kitchen," she yelled as she walked down the hall. I went into my bathroom to brush my teeth and my hair, got dressed, and made my way to the kitchen. Amelia had started a pot of coffee; she placed a mug in front of me as I sat down at the kitchen table.

"Okay, how do we start?" I asked her, taking a sip.

"First, why don't you tell me what you projected to Octavia and what you were doing and feeling at the time," she said, sitting down across from me. I noticed that she had a pad of paper and a pen in front of her. I proceeded to fill her in on what we were doing that afternoon. After I finished relating the story, Amelia asked me a couple of questions and then dug in her bag for some herbs and a book.

"What are those for?" I asked her curious as to what we were going to try.

"They're some herbs to help you relax while we ease into these lessons. I think that this may be easier if you're more relaxed. Usually you have your guard up and we need to take it down. Unless you would rather try it without these first," she explained looking up at me.

"It sounds like the herbs could help, but if I can learn to do it without the assistance of the herbs wouldn't I be able to get a handle on it faster?" I asked, thinking of my looming Las Vegas trip.

"Perhaps. I'm not sure, since I've never tried to help someone with projecting before. Why don't we try it a few times without the herbs and see how that goes."

"Sounds good to me," I said. "What should we start with?"

"Maybe something easy but something you believe is important. I'm assuming that you want to be able to project in situations where talking would draw attention to yourself, right?" She was looking at me with an all-knowing look.

"Okay, give me a second to think of something," I said to her. I had one important secret that only Eric knew at the moment. Perhaps I could try to project that; then again, maybe not. Maybe that needed to stay between me and Eric. I could try projecting that Holly's pregnant, then again that's not my secret to tell. Amelia knows how to keep a secret though, so I'll try it. So I just thought about telling Amelia. "Anything yet?" I asked her, even though I could hear her answer in her head before she said it out loud.

"Not yet. How hard are you concentrating on the thought?" she asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"To be honest, not very hard. I'm trying to keep from hearing your thoughts at the same time."

"Sookie, you can't do that! You have to relax your brain a little. Let your guard down. Or will I have to start steeping some herbs to help you to relax?" she said snidely.

"Okay, okay. I'll try to relax," I said, taking a deep breath and closing my eyes. I started pulling down my shields one at a time, and winced. Amelia's thoughts are very loud. "Can you think in whispers?" I asked her, laughing.

"Nope," she said, simply chuckling. But she did, and it helped a bit. So I took another deep breath and closed my eyes. Then I concentrated on projecting to Amelia.

My eyes flew open at once when I realized that I projected the wrong thought. Amelia looked terrified, but not for herself. She was scared for me. I had projected that I could hear Vampires thoughts.

"You can't ever tell, Amelia. Not even Tray. Okay?" I said, looking at her.

"I would never tell anyone, EVER!" she said, and I knew she meant it. "How long?"

"Since the second time I had to go to Fangtasia. It's only every once in a while and it's not all Vampires," I explained to her. "I've heard Eric a couple of times, but only once before we had the bond. And I heard a Vampire at the Summit. And when I was in Dallas with Bill I heard the King of Texas, Stan Davis."

"Well at least it's not all the time. Does Eric know?"

"Yeah I told him and he's okay with it. He just wants to make sure nobody else knows."

"I agree. The less people who know, the better. Perhaps Niall should know though," she suggested.

"I'm not sure; I'll think about it," I told her. It wasn't a bad idea to tell my great-grandfather about it, but I also don't see what good could come of it. "Should we try with something else? Something less important?"

"Yeah, you should. That way you can get better at it."

"Okay listen up," I told her, smiling. And the rest of the morning and the afternoon I practiced projecting to Amelia. We found out I could project to her over some short distances, but we hadn't tried it from a far distance yet. I also got her to agree to help me while we're at work. Since I need to practice while I have my shields up as well, I'm going to practice keeping shields up for some and not for others and hope that I can project and then hear the answers while keeping other thoughts out.

When Amelia and I got to work that night we had a pleasant surprise, Sam was back. He was sitting at his desk when we came in to put our purses and jackets away.

"Hi Sam, welcome home!" we said at the same time and then laughed.

"Hi girls, Sookie these books look fantastic. Maybe I should have you do them all the time," Sam said with a grin.

"If you want me to be the boss, I don't mind," I told him, returning the grin. I had actually enjoyed doing the books for a change.

We put our purses away and went out to the front to relieve the other girls. It ended up being really busy that night, so we didn't get a chance to practice projecting with my shields up. It also wasn't surprising that I didn't get home until almost four in the morning.

When I got home, there was a message from Eric telling me to sleep well and that he would see me tomorrow night for our date. After listening to the message from Eric a couple more times—mostly to hear his voice—I went to my bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. I didn't even have the energy to shower; I just pulled off my work clothes, pulled on an oversized t-shirt, and fell into bed. I think I was asleep even before my head hit the pillow.

I slept soundly without any dreams and woke to late morning sunshine coming through my windows. I slowly blinked my eyes a few times and then closed them again for a few minutes, laying there contemplating getting out of bed and doing some chores around the house. After a few minutes of lying there in my nice, warm, comfy bed, I decided I should get up and at least shower since I hadn't the night before. But the message wasn't making it to my legs, so instead I reached over to my nightstand and grabbed the book Amelia had me reading. Since I was missing _my_ vampire right now, I enjoyed getting lost in a world where vampires don't have to sleep during the day.

A couple of hours went by and I could no longer stay in bed, nature was calling. I sighed, marked my page, crawled out of bed, and went into the bathroom. After I'd relieved myself, I jumped in the shower and cleaned off the residue of the evening shift. I decided to use a deep conditioner on my hair and shave my legs since I had a date that night. I also used a body scrub that had a faint scent of lemon and special oils which leave my skin feeling smooth and moisturized. It's kind of expensive, so I use it sparingly, but tonight was my first real date with Eric and I wanted to be extra smooth for him. When I got out, I did my normal routine, except I blow dried my hair with a little mousse in it to give it a little volume. Then I stripped the bed, made my way to my washing machine, and tossed the sheets in.

Looking around the kitchen, I realized I wasn't really hungry yet, but decided I should eat something so I wouldn't be starving later. I turned to the fridge, but nothing looked appealing. So I just grabbed a packet of instant oatmeal, put in some water, and tossed it in the microwave. After a minute, I had a steaming bowl of oatmeal that I knew would stay with me until dinner, and on the plus side, it was semi-healthy. When I was done I washed my bowl and spoon, dried them, and put them away. Then I got started on my normal household chores. Today I would vacuum and dust the house. It wasn't much to do but if I did a little bit each day, cleaning wasn't so bad.

When I was done and had finished making my bed, it was time to go into Merlotte's. Sam had given me the whole day off, but I decided that I would go in and see if he had any questions about the books or inventory that I had done while he was gone. By the time I got to the bar, the lunch crowd was just beginning to show up. I went ahead to the back and parked in the employee parking lot and let myself inside. Sam wasn't in his office, so I went up to the front where I found him behind the bar.

"Hi Sam, how's it going today?" I asked him.

"So far so good," he replied, smiling. "But what're you doin' here? I gave you today off."

"I just wanted to make sure you didn't have any questions about anything that I did while you were gone," I told him, taking a seat on one of the stools at the bar.

"You did the books and the inventory better than I do Sookie," Sam told me while handing me a soda. "You want some lunch?"

"No thanks, I'm not hungry," I told him as I took a drink. "Thanks for the drink though."

"Anytime. So, I've been thinking, if you're willing, that you should do the books from now on. Of course I'll pay you extra for that. You deserve it," he said, giving me a nod.

"Of course I'll do the books, Sam, but you don't have to pay me extra for that," I said, thinking that my normal pay would be worth it.

"You know how much it would cost me to hire someone to do the books for me?" he said with an eyebrow cocked.

"No," I told him honestly.

"More 'n I could afford, so I'll pay you an extra $300 a month while you do the books. And you can come in anytime that you want to do them, afternoon or evening, whichever you choose."

"Sam, that's too much," I said, shaking my head.

"No it's not, and don't argue," he countered back with a grin.

"Fine," I said. "Well, if you don't have any questions and you don't need me for anything, I think I'll go run a couple of errands," I said as I slapped my hand down on the bar. I left a tip where my hand had been and left for the day.

When I finished running my errands, I went home and gave myself a manicure and pedicure. Then I pulled out the dress I planned on wearing tonight out of my closet. It was a black halter top style dress with a "V" cut on the hem and it's just a touch longer in the back. I also pulled out the bright red peep-toed high heels and the matching clutch that I had just bought to go with it. I threw the dress in the dryer with a dryer sheet for a few minutes to pull out the wrinkles and freshen it up a little since it had been a while since I had worn it. When it had finished in the dryer, I hung it up in my bathroom to avoid more wrinkles.

I started curling my hair because that takes a while to do. While I was curling my hair, I started day-dreaming about the future, possibly my future, with Eric. I knew I would have the days to myself and my nights would be kept full with Eric. I thought about what our children would look like if we could actually figure out how to make that happen. I was hoping that they would look more like Eric, but they would really resemble both of us since we both have the blonde hair and blue eyes. A picture popped into my head of Eric and me watching our children playing in the yard, during the day. But I knew that wouldn't be possible. We could both watch them together at night, but not during the day. If I decided to go this course, it wasn't going to be easy for either of us. Eric would never be able to take the kids to school in the morning with me, or watch them play in the afternoon sun, and so many other things that children do during the day. But I do love him, and I know he loves me. I finished curling my hair and started my make-up, which only takes a few minutes.

The sun was just setting, but I decided to wait for a bit before getting dressed. I sprayed some hairspray on the curls, hoping they wouldn't fall out tonight, and then went to the front room and turned on the TV. I turned the news on to try and catch the weather forecast, but I had just missed it so I flipped through the channels aimlessly. I found that I was feeling anxious and could hardly wait for Eric to pull into the driveway. I turned off the TV and sat back to try and relax. My mind wandered, I was wondering if I would be able to sense him further away now that I could project. I couldn't sense him at all, so I tried pushing a little harder to see if I could get any further away and I felt a little tingle. I pushed harder, clenching my teeth, and there he was. I was instantly calmed as I knew I would be if I could find him; he was on the freeway about halfway here. I smiled to myself and stayed with him until he took the exit for Bon Temps. Then I could pull myself back a little and I could still stay with him but it didn't take as much effort as he was getting closer.

I went to my bedroom and started changing into my dress. I pulled out the special bra and panties that look best with this dress, and as I was putting them on I started imagining Eric taking them back off. I had to shake my head to clear it so I could finish getting ready; I wanted to be sure that I was fully dressed when Eric got here. The last thing I wanted tonight was for me to give in to what my body wanted so badly, before we even got to go out. So I pushed the thoughts and the feelings away as best I could and finished putting the dress on, then I sat down and put on my shoes and went into the living room to wait for Eric.

I opened the door when he turned onto my driveway but closed it again realizing how cool it had become outside. I opened the closet and pulled out the black shawl that Alcide had gotten for me after his ex-girlfriend had burned a hole in my other one. I watched as Eric's Corvette came into the clearing in front of my house, he came to a stop right in front of the porch, and I watched him climb out and look up at me. I smiled and gave him a little wave. I was feeling quite giddy now that he was finally here. I went and opened the door to find him already standing there.

"You look, delicious," Eric said as he looked me up and down smiling. He had a little fang showing so I knew he couldn't be lying to me, not that he would anyway.

"Thanks, you look very handsome," I replied. He was wearing black slacks that fit him extremely well, and a long sleeved button up shirt that was a gorgeous lavender. He really was striking.

"Shall we go?" Eric asked. "Or should we stay instead?" He said waggling his eyebrows at me.

I rolled my eyes at him and then turned around to grab my shawl and clutch, an obvious answer. He waited on the porch while I shut and locked the door.

*** I just want to thank everyone for their patience with me. I've been super busy this month, we're buying our first house! And I am super excited and can hardly wait to move into it in August. I am editing the next chapter so it should get posted soon. Let me know what you think of this chapter, I love reviews!

Thanks to my Mel and my SIL for helping me edit!!!! ***


	9. Chapter 9

*******Sorry it has been so long since an update! We bought our first house and both my husband and son have started school! It's been crazy busy around here. I appreciate everyone's patience with me. I received a suggestion to do a re-cap of the previous chapter when it's been a while between posts, so here it is....

Sookie was practicing her projection power when she accidently let Amelia in on her secret of being able to hear some Vampire's thoughts. Sam had made it back from Texas, and hired Sookie to take care of the books for him. And of course Sookie was getting ready for her very first date with Eric!

That's it in a nutshell, it wasn't a really active chapter last time, I hope you enjoy this new one!*******

**The Date**

Eric walked me to his car and opened the door for me while I slid down into his corvette. I looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you," I said to him before he closed my door and got in on the driver's side in a flash. He smiled over to me and then started his car.

"Where are we going for dinner tonight?" I asked him curious as to what kind of restaurant he would take me to.

"It's a little Italian place in Shreveport," he replied. "The owner is Italian and I have known her for, some time," he explained looking over at me. I cocked my eyebrow while I was thinking about what he said. "She is vampire," he explained.

"Oh, that's interesting. I didn't think that a vampire would want to cook food all night," I said. Though, Eric had no aversion to cooking or watching me eat.

"It really depends on the vampire actually. Isabelle was a chef when she was a human, and very talented. Her cooking is still very authentic**. **I hope you like Italian food," he said looking over to me with a somewhat worried expression.

"I love Italian food," I told him. It was my favorite kind of food. I just loved pasta and the different sauces. My stomach growled a little just thinking about it. I noticed Eric sped up upon hearing my stomach talk to me. I had to grin, he was being so thoughtful lately. A girl could really get used to this.

Before I knew it**,** we were pulling up in front of this little old building in the historic part of Shreveport. It was white brick with dark green ivy creeping up the front and sides with a balcony on the second level. Eric pulled right up to the front, my door opened suddenly and a hand was there to assist me out of the car. I grabbed my clutch**,** grasped the hand offered**,** and unfolded myself from the car. I smiled at the valet while I stepped up onto the sidewalk, where Eric joined me. The valet got in the car and drove around the corner to park it. Eric offered me his arm**,** which I gladly took as he escorted me into the tiny Italian restaurant.

When we entered**,** there were little tables set all around the room with small candles in the middle of each of them and white table clothes with folded dark green napkins. Several paintings lined the walls and some flowers were scattered here and there. It was really charming. A tall**,** beautiful olive**-**toned vampire came from the back and greeted us by name.

"Hello Isabelle, how's your evening going?" Eric asked her while she gave him a slight nod.

"Exceptionally well Eric. This must be your Sookie," she said as she nodded to me and smiled. I noticed she had the faintest hint of an Italian accent. She also had very long black silky hair that went down past her bottom and was very straight. It's the kind of hair that you would just want to reach out and touch, but of course you wouldn't, especially not when that hair is attached to a vampire.

"Hi Isabelle it's nice to meet you," I smiled to her and gave her a slight nod back.

"I have your table ready," Isabelle said as she turned and led us out to the back of the restaurant where there was a little garden with a table set for two in the middle of it. There were twinkling lights hung all over the garden and of course a little candle in the middle of our table. There was a bottle of champagne chilling next to the table and on the other side a bottle of True Blood was heating. I chuckled to myself at the sight.

Eric led me to one side of the table and pulled my chair out for me. I could feel warm air flowing through the garden so there must have been heaters somewhere close by. I smiled warmly at Eric**.** So far this night was absolutely perfect. Eric returned the smile showing a little fang while pouring me a glass of Champagne.

"Thank you, this is absolutely beautiful Eric."

"I am glad that you find it acceptable," he replied.

"How could anyone not find it more than acceptable," I said astonished. Any girl who didn't like this setting was just plain crazy.

Eric suddenly laughed and I realized he must have heard me. I smiled at him as he reached over and took one of my hands in his.

"I spoke with Dr. Ludwig last night," Eric began. I took a deep breath to prepare myself for what was coming next. "She says she is willing to run some tests on both us to see if it would be possible for the two of us have children.

"Really," I said. "That's fantastic Eric." I could hardly believe that she was willing to take the time to do the tests since she always seemed so busy.

"I'm glad that you approve. If you are willing**,** after dinner we shall go by her office. I did my tests last night and she would just like to run a couple of tests on you. Nothing invasive," he said as he saw the look on my face. "Just draw a little blood to see how our DNA compares. Depending on the test results she may ask us to come back again," he explained.

"Okay," I told him. I started thinking of all the things some couples went through to get pregnant. I cringed at the thought of having to give myself shots and hoped that I wouldn't have to do that. Then there were IVF and IUF procedures, though I would rather conceive naturally. Then again we most certainly were not a _regular_ couple, and we weren't going to just any infertility doctor either. We talked about a few other concerns that we both shared, but we were both willing to do whatever it took to have a baby together.

We also discussed our upcoming trip to Las Vegas and what Castro may do with us there. Eric was certain that Castro was going to make a play for me so that I would have to stay in Las Vegas. I could see the new King doing such a thing and it made me nervous, however I had saved his life so perhaps this was something else entirely. We spoke of other unimportant bits of information while I ate my dinner, and Eric drank his.

When we were done**,** Isabelle served Spumoni ice cream which was delicious. Then Eric escorted me out of the restaurant. We passed Isabelle at the front as we left.

"Isabelle," I said to her as we passed. "Your restaurant is just lovely, thank you for such a wonderful meal."

She smiled at me before saying thank you and wishing us a pleasant evening. She was charming, I thought to myself as Eric opened my car door for me once again.

We did stop by Dr. Ludwig's office and she drew some blood and told me she would be in touch. Then we headed to Fangtasia to see the band that was playing. We entered through the back door and stopped in Eric's office to see how things were going. Clancy was there**,** so it was a brief stop, which meant that Pam must be in the front of the club. When we actually entered the club**,** I was hit with a lot of thoughts of girls and some guys that were envious of me being on the arm of my Viking. I just had to smile as I slid up my mental shields. I could feel how proud Eric was to be walking into his establishment with me on his arm as his partner.

"Shall we?" Eric asked as he gestured over to his private table at the back of the club.

"Of course," I replied smiling to him. As soon as we were sitting**,** Eric had a bottle of True Blood and I had a glass of champagne. The servers here were extremely well trained**,** I thought to myself. That, of course, was not why most of the customers come here though. They wanted the thrill of meeting a real life vampire. It was exciting to them. I was keeping up my mental guards when I saw Pam approaching us.

As Pam came up to us I stood and she gave me a brief hug**.** "Hello my friend," Pam said as we embraced.

"Hi Pam**. **How's your night?" I asked her as we both sat down.

"Oh**,** the usual. As you can see we have a rather full night for the band that is to play," she explained mostly to Eric. She was reporting the events of the night up to this point. I smiled as they chatted for a moment and caught up. "I hope you enjoy the evening Sookie," Pam said as she got up to go back to the front.

"Thanks Pam," I said to her before turning my attention back to Eric. I was about to ask Eric something when he suddenly looked up towards the door. I followed his gaze and saw Victor standing at the front of the club. A surprise visit**.** This couldn't be good. I looked back to Eric and thought as hard as I could 'Eric what do I need to do?'

He looked back over to me and I caught a flash of his thoughts. A black velvet bag, bottom drawer of his desk. I frowned and asked him what I was to do with it. I got another flash of me presenting it to him in front of Victor. I nodded slightly to let him know I understood. Victor was making his way over to us and I smiled at him. As he approached**,** I excused myself telling them I needed a human moment. That received a chuckle from both of the vampires. I decided to leave my shawl and clutch so I wouldn't have to bother with them. I caught Pam's attention and motioned for her to join me. She followed with a curious look on her face. She met me in front of Eric's office door and she led me in and told Clancy to take over at the front for her for a few minutes.

"Okay Sookie**,** what is it that you need?" Pam asked me with her hands on her hips.

"I need a bag out of Eric's bottom desk drawer," I explained to her in a whisper. She cocked an eyebrow at me and went around the desk and opened the bottom drawer. She pulled out the bag and placed it on the desk in front of me. I opened it and immediately recognized the knife inside. It was the same one that Eric used to 'marry' the King of Indiana and the King of Mississippi. Pam got an all knowing look on her face.

"Ahhh," she simply said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I hissed.

"Eric's saving your skin," she said so quietly I could hardly hear her. "Don't hesitate, get going," she said giving me a get along pat on the bottom.

I grabbed the bag and did as she said. I walked up to Eric and presented him with the black velvet bag and then took the seat next to him.

"Well what has our friend Sookie given you?" Viktor asked with a curious look on his face.

Eric didn't answer instead he unfolded the velvet on the small table in front of us while I took a sip of my champagne. When Eric held up the knife the look on Viktor's face changed to understanding. Eric then raised the knife and kissed the blade before leaning over and kissing me. I knew what we had just done and I also knew it was the only way I would be permitted to stay here and not be taken to Las Vegas tonight.

"Well, well," Viktor said. "A formal attachment."

I just smiled at him and continued to sip my champagne.

"I'll be sure to let Felipe know of this new attachment to Miss Stackhouse and inform him that you will both be coming to Las Vegas in a couple of weeks," Viktor said nodding to Eric and then to me.

I smiled and gave him a nod back. Eric thanked him for passing the message to the new King of Louisiana. Then Viktor got up, excused himself and left.

"So we're pledged to one another now," I said to make sure that I had it right.

"We are," Eric replied. "I am sorry**. **I had planned on letting you make the decision as to when this would happen. However**, **when Viktor showed up tonight I was certain of his intentions."

"I'm okay with this Eric," I said as I put my hand on his knee.

He flashed me a grin and suddenly he was on his knee holding a ring up for me to see. My breath caught in my throat.

"Sookie, it would be a great honor if you would agree to be my bride?" he asked me smiling.

"Oh Eric!!! Yes, of course I'll marry you!" I practically screamed as he placed the ring on my finger. It was a princess cut diamond, at least two carats, set in a think Platinum band. It was simple, yet stunning, it was perfect.

Eric smiled at me, then reached up to give me a kiss. "Tonight is a night for celebration," Eric said as the band was being introduced. The crowd in the bar exploded with applause and whistles to let the band know how excited they were. Pam joined us after the band started to play.

"Well**,** I take it congratulations are in order?" she asked grinning at Eric and myself.

"Absolutely," Eric said hugging his child. "I finally coveted my Sookie," he said with a little grin.

"Ha ha, very funny Eric," I said rolling my eyes, but I smiled at Pam as she came and gave me a hug as well. She pulled my hand up to admire the ring, "Yes, I knew this would be a perfect fit for you Sookie."

"Oh, you helped Eric pick it out then?" I asked her.

"Oh no, he showed it to me after he bought it. He has impeccable taste. Well, I shall return shortly," Pam said with a small nod at Eric and then one in my direction as well. I gave a little nod back but cocked my head to Eric as Pam walked away.

"Why did Pam nod to me?" I asked him.

"Because dear heart, you are pledged to me," he stated as though it was common knowledge.

"I don't want Pam to have to nod to me**. **It doesn't feel right," I said. "Could you please ask her not to?"

"I suppose I could do that**.** I do not think Pam will mind," he said with a little chuckle.

The music changed from an upbeat number to a slow one. Eric took my hand and pulled me onto the dance floor**,** where a space was immediately made in the middle for us. I kept my eyes on Eric's as he spun me around the dance floor. He twirled me up in the air which made me giggle with delight and think back to the night we danced at the Summit. I felt just like Cinderella whenever I was with Eric. The crowd clapped and cheered as we went round and round. When the song came to an end**,** Eric dipped me dramatically and gave me a deep passionate kiss. When he brought me back up**,** I could feel the envy of just about every human in the entire club. I was beaming, and Eric was glowing. He led me back up to his private area.

This was turning out to be quite the date night. "Where would you like to get officially married?" Eric suddenly asked me. I was thinking it might be a little soon to start planning but I guess there's no time like the present.

"Hmmm…I don't know. To be honest I hadn't really given much thought as to where. Maybe my house?" I suggested. I had the big grassy area in my front yard and a big back yard. If I were to spend some extra time in the yard**,** it could be really charming at sundown.

I could picture it with twinkling lights around the bushes and through the flower beds and some extra flower pots placed throughout the yard.

"I would have thought you would want to get married in a church," Eric said looking thoughtful.

"Well, I was thinking since you are not Christian then we should have a service that's less focused on the church," I told him. It was, after all, his wedding too.

"I would love an outdoor wedding, but are you certain that your yard would be big enough for all of our guests?" he asked me.

"I should think so**. **I don't want to have a huge wedding Eric," I said. I was thinking something on the small side, something more intimate.

"That may be somewhat difficult to accomplish," Eric said carefully. I motioned for him to clue me in. "I am a Sheriff, it will be necessary to invite the appropriate people."

"How many Eric?" I said with a sigh. He started counting the sheriff's and then the King and his entourage, not to mention all of the vampires in Eric's area, and my friends. I was starting to see how it could be difficult to have a small wedding. Eric squeezed my hand lightly and nodded his head toward the front door. I looked up and saw my great-grandfather, Niall.

****Okay I'm hoping to have Ch. 10 up in the next week! And that one gets interesting! And as always I LOVE reviews!!!! :)****


	10. Chapter 10

~ Okay so when we last left, Niall had just entered Fangtasia after Eric and Sookie were officially engaged. And I do finally get to the "Mature" rating in this chapter! I hope you all enjoy this part of the story. ~

**Niall**

As Niall approached us the sounds of the bar seemed to fade away.

"Hello grandfather," I said standing up to great my great-grandfather.

"Sookie," he said as he leaned in and kissed my forehead and then he pulled away and sat down in the seat next to me.

"To what do we owe this pleasure Niall?" Eric asked looking cautious.

"Oh there are many things in the air tonight Northman," Niall replied. "First I must congratulate Sookie and yourself on your upcoming marriage."

I beamed at him while holding Eric's hand. "Thank you, but how did you know?"

"I could sense your happiness my dear one," Niall explained with a soft smile. Well that sure was something. It reminded me of my bond with Eric.

"However there is something more serious we must also discuss tonight," he continued and my heart fell a little. Of course things were not going to go smoothly for me**.** When had they ever?

I took a deep breath and looked from Eric back to Niall. "Okay**,** what's going on?" I asked softly since I knew that I should know what was happening but at the same time I didn't want to know. I wanted to stay blissfully happy.

"I am sorry to have to inform you of this information on this night**,** but since you are with Eric it was a convenient time. One of my enemies has started attacking and I want you both to be extra cautious of what is going on around you."

"How am I supposed to protect myself from fae?" I asked him. With vampires I could at least go around during the day in safety, but fae were not bothered with the sun and they were just as strong as vampires.

"Claudine will be with you more during the daylight hours," Niall explained and I saw Eric nod his head in approval. I also gave him a small nod to show that I understood. "She will also be teaching you some of our magic to help you protect yourself when she is unable to be with you."

"Are you sure I'll be able to do your kind of magic?" I asked him. The only thing that I could do was hear thoughts, and very recently project some of my own.

"Oh yes I am certain of it. Correct me if I am misinformed, but you are able to project your thoughts now," he said all knowing.

How does he do that, I thought to myself. "Yes," I said slowly.

Niall smiled and looked at me like a proud papa. "Dear one**,** that is fae magic, and it will grow stronger. Claudine will be teaching you how to harness this magic. You must work very hard at this, understand?"

"Yes, of course I will," I said nodding my head enthusiastically. I could hardly wait to start. Eric of course sensed my eagerness.

"Which enemy is coming after Sookie?" Eric asked Niall. Of course he would find a way to bring down my mood slightly. But it was necessary information and Eric was always good at keeping on track, whereas I was easily distracted.

"Breandan," Niall said simply. It sounded like Bren-dawn, when he said it and I noticed that Eric nodded as though he knew who this Breandan was.

I looked at Eric, "Do you know him?" I asked.

"I have crossed paths with him on a few occasions," he said looking at me.

"What does he look like Niall? I'll need to know who to look out for."

"Of course Sookie," Niall said and suddenly I had a vision in my head of a man. No I was wrong; it was not a man**,** it was a fairy. He wasn't quite as tall as Eric and he had long, light red hair, and his eyes matched. He had razor sharp teeth and of course the pointy ears. His arms seemed to be a little longer than normal, and he was very muscular under the loose fitting shirt.

"Thank you Niall," I said assuming it was him who sent me the image. When I opened my eyes and looked at him though he was looking at Eric. So I turned my gaze to Eric who then said, "You're welcome dear heart."

Oops, this couldn't be good. Eric had sent me the image**,** not Niall. Now Niall was aware that I could hear vampires sometimes as well. Niall turned his gaze back to me. "You can hear the Northman?" he asked me quietly.

"Only sometimes," I explained in a hushed voice. And since Niall now knew this information he might as well know the rest. "I can also project to him. But it seems I am unable to project to other vampires."

"I see. Eric you must take extra precautions with my dear one," Niall said. "This is information that we do not want known." I noticed then that the bar was completely silent but when I looked around I could see people talking to one another, and not one person was paying us the slightest bit of attention. Not even the vampires, Niall must be using his powers to keep our conversation completely private.

"I have already put extra protection on her home. Perhaps you could put one of your protection charms on the entire property, to assist in warding off your own enemies," Eric suggested.

"Amelia put up wards on the house, but I don't know if they will be strong enough," I said mostly to Niall.

"The witches wards are strong but I will add my protection to the house and to the surrounding woods. The Northman is correct**;** the wards should cover your entire property**. **I will have the protection in place by dawn," Niall said.

Relief flowed through me, and I realized that I had been clutching onto Eric's hand. As I let go I could feel the blood flowing back into the tips of my fingers. I chuckled slightly to myself.

"There is one other thing I wished to talk to you about," Niall said to both of us. "I would like to assist you with the wedding."

"That is very considerate," Eric said. "But I am more than capable of handling the wedding."

I looked at Eric and was embarrassed by his tone towards my grandfather. _That's rude, apologize._ I thought towards Eric.

"I know you are more than capable Eric, but my grandson is no longer here to walk Sookie down the aisle, or to assist her with anything that she may need. I am offering to assist her, not you Northman," my grandfather told him in an icy tone.

Realization hit Eric like a wrecking ball. "My apologies Niall, I thought you were implying that I could not care for Sookie."

I couldn't believe my ears. "You want to give me away?" I asked my grandfather with tears in my eyes. I was utterly blown away. I had thought of asking Jason to walk me down the aisle since he was my brother, but Niall would be incredible too. And I hadn't completely forgiven Jason yet about the whole Crystal situation.

"If you would allow me the honor," Niall said rubbing my arm with one hand and placing a hand on my knee with the other.

"That would make me so happy," I told him as I hugged him. "Is December a busy time for you?" I asked him.

"Whatever you choose I will make time for you dear one. One other thing, if you would like we can have the wedding in fae."

"But that won't be possible with all the vampires that will have to come," I said thinking at the same time how lovely it would be to get married in their land.

"I can make it quite possible, if it is what you desire."

"Oh, I've never been there before. Do you think Claudine could bring me sometime?" I asked hoping that it would as lovely as I imagined it to be.

"I will inform her to bring you at anytime that you ask," Niall said as he stood up. "I need to be going**.** Please remember to be extra cautious during these times," he said as he hugged me. Then he leaned over and kissed the top of my head before turning and giving a slight nod to my fiancé.

I watched Niall as he walked out of the club and noticed how the vampires all watched him but kept their distance. As soon as he was gone the noise level was back to normal. I looked over to Eric and beamed at him.

"What do you think about having our wedding in a different world?" I asked him and I couldn't help myself but to have a huge smile on my face while I just thought about it.

"It looks as if that would please you very much. And I would like nothing more for you to be as happy as possible on our wedding day," Eric said sincerely.

"Well I guess it will depend on what it looks like there then," I said. Though I was quite sure that it would be better than anything I could even begin to imagine.

"Would you like to stay here or would you rather go do something else?" Eric asked me changing the subject again.

"Whatever you prefer, I am enjoying myself here though," I said so he would know that I liked being here with him.

"Then we shall stay a little while longer," he said kissing me softly on my lips. Then he pulled me onto his lap and we stayed that way until the band stopped playing. The champagne just kept coming, and none too soon I was a pretty tipsy.

Pam came to sit with us when the band stopped playing and the DJ started back up. Most of the customers either found a table to sit down at or decided to call it a night. "So what did Niall want?" Pam asked.

"He came with an offer to give Sookie away at our wedding, and offered to hold the ceremony in fae," Eric answered her quietly. Pam's eyebrows raised in response.

"Let's not forget the warning he gave us about Breandan," I said to let Pam know that there was trouble with my kin.

"Oh, well that will make things more interesting," Pam said smiling at me. "You always make things interesting when you come in Sookie."

"I try my hardest," I said winking at Eric, and they both laughed.

Pam turned to me and asked me what my theme was going to be. I hadn't thought of a theme, I thought 'wedding' _was_ the theme. Pam again, laughed at me.

"I suppose not all weddings have a theme," she said after she was done laughing at me. "But you may want to think of something if you are going to wed in Fae."

"Why, do they always do themes there?" I asked her.

"Honestly I do not know since I have never been," she said and then got a wistful look on her face. She was probably thinking about how good fairies taste.

"I'll ask Claudine what she thinks tomorrow. Oh yeah**,** Pam**,** you're going to love this," I said getting excited about tomorrow. "Claudine is going to teach me fairy magic!"

"That will be extremely handy," Pam replied in all seriousness. I had to chuckle at her, I was thoroughly excited about learning my kin's magic. I was only hoping that I would be good at it, and I hoped that Amelia wouldn't mind me learning a type of magic. I wonder if she might be able to learn to do it also, or learn how to apply it to her magic to make it stronger. It was another thing I would have to remember to ask Claudine about.

As the bar was closing Eric walked me back out to his car. "Would you like to stay with me tonight?" Eric asked me as he opened the car door for me.

"I would love to Eric," I said as I reached my arms around his neck and kissed him. He reached his arms around me and pulled me closer to make it last longer, and I was completely okay with that. After a few minutes Eric pulled away from me and I gave a small groan.

"My love, we should go before I lay you on the hood of my car and have my way with you," Eric said in a very husky voice.

I cleared my throat a little, "Okay." I gave him one last small kiss before I pulled myself away and slid into the car. Eric shut the door and slid into the driver seat. He started his car and pulled out of his parking spot.

"What was your first wedding like?" I asked Eric.

"Well I don't remember a lot of it. I know that the whole village was present because that was custom then. The villages were not usually very large," he explained to me thinking about his past life. "We were married by my father. My wife carried a bundle of wildflowers with her and had her hair down for the evening. It was very simple," he finished.

I noticed we were heading out of Shreveport. "Are we going back to my place?" I asked him.

"I thought it would be best since my home won't have Niall's wards on it," he told me as he picked up my hand and brought it to his lips. It felt like an electric shock that came from his lips and through my hand right down between my legs. I sucked in a sharp breath and closed my eyes.

"Yes," I whispered, "I guess that would be best." I looked over to Eric and he was smiling at me as he pushed down the floor pedal a little more.

It took us half the time it usually takes me to get home from Shreveport. When he pulled into my drive I noticed that inside lights were on. I reached out with my mind and found Amelia was home, with Tray.

"Amelia and Tray are here," I told Eric as he opened my door for me and helped me out of the car.

"Would you like to stay outside?" he asked as he showed a little fang run out.

I playfully smacked his chest, "No they already know that we're here," I told him. "Come on, maybe they'll go to Tray's house after a little while." Though I had a feeling that they would probably stay here tonight, which Amelia still paid rent so I was okay with her staying. I had thought that if she were to move out she would be staying at his place more often, oh well. As we walked in the front door, I made sure they were going to be decent when we came in.

"Hi guys," I greeted them as we came in. They both looked up from the movie they were watching.

"Sookie," Amelia exclaimed. "You look good enough to eat!" She was laughing at her own little joke, and so was Tray.

I just grinned at them both and replied, "That was sort of the point."

"Allow me to help you with that," Eric whispered in my ear as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

_In a minute_, I thought to him. "Amelia, Niall is going to be putting some extra protection around the house, do you think it will interfere with your wards?" I asked so she would know something was up.

"No it shouldn't affect mine**. **What's going on?" she asked me.

"Some of Niall's enemies have been attacking his people," Eric explained briefly. "Niall just wants to help ensure Sookie's safety."

"Claudine will also be here more often," I told her so she would know to expect my cousin.

"Alright then," she said and then she caught site of the ring on my finger. "Sookie!" she exclaimed jumping off the couch and practically sprinting over to me. She grabbed my finger and held it under a lamp on a small table. "Wow, that's sure some ring. Congratulations!"

"Thanks," I said beaming up at Eric.

"Congratulations Sookie. Hey, do you guys want to watch?" Tray asked being polite.

"No I think we're just going to go hang out in my room for a while," I said and started towards my room with Eric in tow.

Eric closed the bedroom door behind us and picked me up to sit me on the edge of my bed. I smiled at him and kissed him. He pushed me back so that I was laying on the bed and he started laying a trail of soft kisses all the way down my body. He slowly made his way down my legs to my feet and pulled off my shoes while kissing my ankles. As he made his way back up he pushed the hem of my dress up and pushed my legs apart, he leaned in and kissed my center over my thin panties. I felt him finger the lace as he was kissing me.

"I rather like this pair," I whispered to him to let him know I would rather they not be ripped off. I could feel him chuckle through the kisses and the vibrations made me moan in response. I grabbed the blanket with my fists as he did it again. Okay, I really didn't care if he ripped the panties anymore. And then they were gone and I could feel Eric's tongue licking my clit. My back arched without me even realizing it. Eric reached around and grabbed my behind while he licked and sucked. I could feel myself getting closer and closer to an orgasm when I felt Eric slide a finger into me while still kissing me. I looked down to him and nodded to let him know he could bite me if he wanted to. I closed my eyes and put my head back down while he worked his magic on me. After a few more seconds I felt Eric bite the inside of my leg and it sent me over the edge. I was floating among the stars when I felt Eric tugging my dress off of me and pull me to the center of the bed.

Eric pulled my legs around him as he started kissing me with eagerness. I kissed him back with intense urgency, I wrapped my hands in his hair to pull him even closer to me. I could feel his tip at my entrance and I moaned. "Please Eric," I breathed to him. Then I felt him slide into me and I felt whole again. I hadn't even realized that something had been missing until this moment. I moaned in ecstasy and I could feel Eric straining to stay gentle with me.

"Am I hurting you?" he asked me pushing his weight off of me slightly.

"Not at all, you feel amazing," I managed to huff out.

"You have no idea how good you feel to me," he whispered softly kissing along my jaw and neck while pushing into me a little further. Oh my god, why had I waited so long for this, I asked myself. This was how it was supposed to be with Eric.

He went slowly at first and then got a little faster. He was being soft and tender and we were full of passion for one another. He leaned down and kissed my breasts which gave me goose bumps.

"Bite me," he said.

I obliged by biting his shoulder hard enough to break the skin. He cried out and then bit my shoulder in return. He tasted sweet, and I realized I missed his taste. I sucked him a little harder as he sucked on my wounds from his own fangs. We both climaxed at the same time, and it was, without a doubt the best orgasm of my life. Shortly after the aftershocks of our simultaneous climaxes subsided, I felt him lick the little puncture wounds to help them heal. He finally pushed himself off and lay down next to me.

"That was incredible," I said as I attempted to catch my breath.

"Oh yes," Eric said taking a deep breath even though he had no need to breath.

I turned onto my side and looked at Eric in the moonlight. He opened his eyes and mimicked my position.

"What are you thinking dear heart?" He asked me while he pulled the blankets up and covered us both, then stroked my hip with his hand.

"I think I would like to have a December wedding," I told him. I didn't have a specific date in mind but December just seems more romantic than October or November.

"I think that is perfect. It will give us enough time to plan everything and get the Vegas trip out of the way."

"Should we have two wedding ceremonies?" I asked him.

"Why would we need two?" he asked me with his eyebrows pulled together.

"Well, should we really let the King know who my older relatives are? Would that not make him want me even closer to him?"

"That is something we will have to think about. However we are already formally pledged to one another in front of Viktor and that in itself prevents the King from taking you from me," he explained.

"But do you think it would be wise to tell him about my relationship with Niall?" I asked him again.

"Perhaps we should keep that to ourselves until we feel it must be made known," Eric suggested instead.

I laughed at him, "Fine," I said.

"As for paying for the wedding things, I have a credit card that I will give you, there's no limit," he said matter of factly.

"Eric, I'm not just going to spend as much as I can on a wedding." I was raised to watch what I spent and I've always had to. I wasn't going to spend the money just because I could.

"Actually it will be somewhat necessary**. **As much as we don't want our wedding to be about politics lover, I do hold a station and with that comes certain expectations."

"Oh fine then, but I'm still not spending more than I have to Eric."

"Sookie, I am asking you to splurge on every aspect of this wedding. And I will call Niall and explain it to him as well. I'm sure he will tell Claudine to assist you in every way to accomplish that task."

"Fine I will spend as much as possible on this wedding. But if we get married in Fae it's not like I can hire a caterer or a band Eric," I said in a huff.

"We will find a way. I'm sure Claudine will be able to assist you in that department. But first you will need to go there and see if it will be acceptable." I rolled my eyes at him knowing in my heart that it would be the perfect location for our wedding. He leaned over and kissed me softly and then pressed himself into me. He was ready, again. I pushed him on his back so I could be on top this time.

I didn't have a regular rhythm in the beginning and Eric guided my hips for me. But after a couple of minutes I moved his hands. He reached up and massaged my breasts, and I threw my head back and moaned. I was lost shortly after**,** flying through the stars I was seeing. Eric must have climaxed when I was lost, because when I collapsed on top of him he rubbed my back as we both had little aftershocks.

"I didn't realize how much I've missed you," I told Eric and looked up into his eyes.

"I know lover," he said giving me a small kiss. He rolled me over and covered me with my blankets again and then held me close to him. "Get some rest, you have a long day ahead of you," he whispered as he kissed me good night.

"I love you Eric Northman," I whispered to him as I closed my eyes and let myself relax.

"I love you too Sookie," he whispered back to me kissing the top of my head again.

**Thanks to everyone for sticking with this story! I know I've slowed down a bit with the updates but I appreciate all your patience. A special thanks goes out to my beta, SoonerMom! ;) Thanks for all your help! And please send me reviews, they are always inspiring! **


	11. Chapter 11

******We left off with Eric and Sookie finally getting "engaged" and after much anticipation, the two of them reuniting physically! I know it has been a long time since my last update, and I apologize! Thank you to everyone for being so incredibly patient with me. Since I have gone back to work I haven't had a lot of spare time to work on my story, but know that I will finish this! :) I hope you enjoy the new chapter!******

**Lessons**

The next morning I woke to the sound of metal clinking together lightly. I stretched myself out and pulled my blankets all the way up thinking I would go back to sleep, but of course I was mistaken.

"It's about time you woke up," Claudine said from the chair in the corner of my room.

"Morning Claudine, sorry you have to baby-sit me," I told her as I stifled a yawn.

"No need for apologies Sookie, I volunteered," she said cheerily while tossing me my robe. "Go clean yourself up we have a lot of work to do today," she told me and went back to her knitting.

I pulled the robe around myself and went into my bathroom and turned on the shower. When the water finally got hot, I climbed in and let my sore muscles relax in the stream of water. I smiled to myself thinking about last night and everything that had happened. I let Eric back into my bed sooner than I was expecting, but with everything that happened it just felt right last night. I sighed to myself when my thoughts shifted to this Breandan guy and how I was going to protect myself from him. I shook my head after a couple of different scenarios went through my head of Breandan showing up at my wedding to attack us all. I finally I got to work on cleaning up, and washed my hair, used a conditioner, and then grabbed my loofah and a special scented soap.

By the time I got out of the shower my mirror was completely fogged up. So I wrapped my towel around my hair to help it dry, put my robe back on and went back into my bedroom. Claudine was still sitting there knitting.

"Wear clothes you won't mind getting dirty," she told me without looking up. I looked at what she was wearing for the first time and saw the old jeans and t-shirt she had on. _Comfortable clothes_**.** I could definitely handle that today. So I went to my closet and grabbed a shirt and jeans, then rummaged through my dresser for socks, underwear and a bra. Once I had everything I made my way back into the bathroom to get dressed.

When I reemerged Claudine put down her knitting needles and took my hand. "We're going out to the front yard for our first lesson."

"Can I have some coffee first?" I asked her while I stifled a yawn.

"No, caffeine will inhibit your ability to tap into your natural magic," she explained to me as we went down the front steps and she headed to the big tree in the middle of the yard. "This," she said waiving a hand in the direction of the tree. "Is an Elder tree, it offers fairies protection from enemies," she explained.

"Does it only offer protection from certain enemies…like other fae?" I asked her thinking back to when the Nevada vampires made themselves comfortable outside my house.

"Yes," she stated simply.

"Was this tree planted here on purpose?" I asked her, since I had a feeling that Fintan was responsible for this particular tree in my front yard. I looked at Claudine who had a small smile on her face.

"Yes, it was," she said quietly. "You should know that other trees have different magic in them as well. Hawthorne is used to increase fertility so we often use it in wedding ceremonies. Ash has healing properties, Holly is a protective herb, and Blackthorn is used for creating wands."

I nodded to let Claudine know I was keeping up, even though that was a lot to take in at one time.

"We are considered sky people," Claudine started to explain as she sat me down in a patch of sunlight in the grass. "All of our names have some meaning that relates with the sky. For instance, Niall means clouds. We have an easier time drawing our magic from the sun, moon, and stars. The sun is the easiest to tap into so we're going to start with that," she said as she sat me down in a patch of sunlight in the grass. "Put your hands next to each other face up in your lap, close your eyes and tilt your head towards the sun," she instructed me. "Now since you so often have your mental guards up you must first let all of that go."

I tried to do as Claudine instructed me to do but I was having a difficult time. I was slowly able to pull down my shields completely, but it wasn't very easy. Though I am certain if I had coffee in my system it probably would have been harder to calm myself down. I took a deep breath and told Claudine that I was ready. I inhaled deeply enjoying the feeling of the sun on my skin.

"Okay Sookie," Claudine whispered. "Think only of the sun and the power of which it holds. It gives us warmth and light and power."

I concentrated as hard as I could on the sun and I kept running Claudine's words through my head. It was almost like a chant I was telling myself. _Sun, Warmth, Light, Power._ My skin started prickling from the heat of the sun and I was starting to feel a little light headed. I had never gotten light headed from sitting in the sun before, just as these thoughts came to the forefront of my mind, the feeling melted away.

"Oh you almost had it Sookie, try again," Claudine instructed me.

I looked over to her, "What do you mean I almost had it? I was just starting to feel a little light headed and it stopped."

"I was watching you, it was very close. And until you get used to harnessing the power you probably will feel slightly light headed. Now close your eyes and try again."

I did as I was told again, and again. But every time I thought I might be getting close it suddenly went away. I would have given up for the day, if it hadn't been for Claudine's insistence that I was getting closer with every attempt. So around mid-day I furrowed my brow to try again, with the promise that I could at least get something to eat after this attempt.

I again concentrated on the sun, thinking of the power it held for my family. This time when the floating feeling came back I concentrated harder on the feeling of the sun on my skin. I could feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, and then the prickling sensation started coming back and I took another breath to steady myself. Instead of concentrating on the power the sun held like Claudine had instructed me to do, I thought about my love for the sun. And those thoughts drifted towards how much I love to lie in the sun even when it's not particularly warm outside. I soon realized my hands started feeling very warm, the prickling sensation started to move up my legs and down my arms. The feeling was getting pretty dang intense in my hands.

"Claudine," I whispered as I tried to remain calm since this was feeling much different than last time. That's when it changed again the prickling started to ebb, but at the same time my hands were really warm. The warmth in my hands was very comforting, like when you're getting a manicure and the manicurist dips your hands in that hot wax. It stings at first and your hands kind of tingle, but then after a few seconds it's a very warm and relaxing feeling.

"Oh shit Sookie!" Claudine said in a very soft voice that was full of awe. "I need to call Niall, don't lose it okay," she said.

"What's wrong Claudine?" I asked opening my eyes. "Did I do something wrong?"

"NO," she told me adamantly inclining her head towards my hands. "You did nothing wrong. Take a look." She then whipped out her cell phone and put it to her ear.

I looked down and there was a glowing white orb floating just above my palms. It was brighter than the sun but it didn't hurt my eyes. I could see that it was constantly moving within itself. I could hear Claudine talking to what sounded like her father and asking him to send Niall immediately. I went back to staring at the orb in wonder. After a few minutes I heard the soft crunching of leaves and realized that I could hear Niall approaching from the woods. I could also hear someone following him, that's when it hit me. I could hear Niall while he was still in the woods! I'm not supposed to be able to hear them yet. And yet, I could hear every foot step with extreme clarity. I tried to keep myself calm so that the little orb wouldn't go away. Though, I wasn't sure what to do with it yet.

As Niall stepped into the clearing I heard him take in a sharp breath and stop.

"Hello Niall," I said. And even though it was barely above a whisper I knew he would hear me.

"Hello dear one," Niall responded as he walked slowly towards us. When he was standing beside me I looked up and saw him reach over and give Claudine a hug. She then stepped over to the other individual and greeted him the same way. Niall looked down, smiled and sat down beside me.

"This," he told, me gesturing to the white orb in my hands. "Is something very rare, and extremely special among our blood."

It is then that I saw a flash of bright light from the orb and when I looked back into its depths I could see my family. Niall's great grandmother had been the last to possess this gift; with it she saw visions of the future. I realized that all the people that I could see were women. I wondered if the gift was perhaps only passed through the women of the family, and that's when the woman who last had the gift started to speak to me. I felt my jaw pop open at this, I wanted to see if Niall could hear her also but I was afraid that if I looked away they would disappear. She told me of how she saw me with their gift of magic. Her mother had the gift of projection and her grandmother had held the gift of telepathy. And her Aunt had the power of protection. This is when she told me I would hold all of these powers, and then I couldn't help myself, I looked at Niall.

"What do you see?" He asked me calmly. I looked back down at the orb, and thankfully they were still there smiling up at me.

"I see the women of our family," I told him quietly.

"Ah, have they told you of the prophecy yet?"

I again looked back into the orb and asked the women there about the prophecy. Of course none of the others could hear this conversation since it was happening in my head. My breath caught in my throat suddenly as I started seeing an image that was clearly in the past. My great-great-great grandmother was sitting in a garden and I began to see what she had seen that day. A woman, me, fighting in a war, glowing a brighter white light than any of the others around me. And that's when I saw him, fighting at my side, with my family**.** Eric. When I blinked I looked at Niall and told him I wasn't sure what exactly that meant.

"You, my dear one, will be more powerful than any other fairy in existence. The future that my great-grandmother saw was you defeating Breandan and his followers**,** followed by a time of peace for our people that will last for centuries more."

I let out a deep breath that I had been holding. "Okay then, but how am I supposed to learn all of these powers in such a short time?" I asked him feeling concerned that I wouldn't be ready to fight with them when the time came.

"You have already harnessed the power," he told me while inclining his head towards the orb and placing a hand on my shoulder. "All you need now is to want to use them and they will come to you as you need them. This is what I wish for you to practice now dear one. Claudine, and myself, will both be assisting you with this. As you know I have the power to suppress my scent when I am near vampires, this is one of the powers from my great-great Aunt. This is the gift that I will help you with."

"Is it going to work the same for me?" I asked him.

"It seems to work slightly different in each one of us," he explained as he moved a piece of my hair behind my ear. "But you see the general idea of it, yes?"

I nodded my head in answer. I looked back into the orb and concentrated on wanting to use my protection gift. I thought of how I can pull up my mental shields to protect myself, and I thought of how much help it could be if I could use those same shields to protect the people around me. Several thoughts flowed through my head pertaining to protecting my friends and loved ones. One of which was to dull vampires senses so I wouldn't have to worry about my family and friends at my own wedding. Another thought lead me to my impending trip to Las Vegas, if I needed to would I be able to dull more than just scent?

"Well that's an interesting sensation isn't it," I could hear Niall say from what seemed a very far distance. I realized I was concentrating so hard that I now had a faint buzzing in my ears.

It took a great deal of effort to pull my eyes away from the orb, but when I looked up Niall was still sitting next to me. I could now feel him rubbing my back.

"What was that?" I asked him.

"You somehow managed to dull our sense of smell dear."

"Oh, well that's something isn't it," I said softly. If I could learn how to dull the sense of smell in others while not staring into the orb**,** then I could have my wedding in fae. "Has your sense of smell returned yet?" I asked him.

Niall simply smiled at me and shook his head slightly. I beamed**. **So I didn't have to look into the orb to keep the senses dulled. I noticed that it felt similar to my own mental shields; it was easier to keep these up. It was like they were made of plexi-glass rather than steel, strong yet light. I let them slide down and I could tell that all three of the fairies felt more at ease.

We practiced putting up that shield for about an hour, and at the end of it I was able to choose whose senses to effect. When Niall was confident knowing that I could use this new power, gift, whatever you wanted to call it, he let Claudine take over. We worked for another hour as I attempted to catch a glimpse of something in the future. This gift, as it turned out, was much more difficult to grasp, probably because I didn't have anything to compare it with.

Claudine finally let me take a break to get something to eat when she heard my stomach growling. We went into my kitchen and she helped me make some sandwiches. Instead of having a soda I just had some ice water, and some fruit to go with my sandwich.

"Hey, Claudine?" I asked her in between bites.

"Yes," she replied looking up at me curiously.

"Do you mind if I ask you what you were knitting this morning?"

She swallowed her bite and a small smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. "A baby blanket," she told me.

"Oh, who's expecting?" I asked her**.** Maybe I should make one too, if I knew the lucky couple.

"Me!" She squealed.

It was quite unfortunate that I had just taken a drink of water, because I was so taken by surprise that I sprayed it all over the kitchen.

"What!? Why didn't you tell me?!"

"We had other things that held more importance," she told me, as if I should have realized this.

"Nothing is more important than a baby Claudine," I told her as I got up to give her a hug. "How far along are you?"

"Oh not very, just a few weeks. But you should know fae pregnancies don't last as long as humans do."

"Well how long will yours last?" I asked her so I would know when to get her a gift.

"Just about 5 months," she told me while she continued to eat. It was then that I realized she had made herself three sandwiches. I couldn't help but chuckle at seeing her eat so much. "What?" she asked me while looking down at her plate.

"Oh it's nothing, I just haven't ever seen you eat so much," I told her while I sat back down to finish up my lunch. I saw Claudine shrug her shoulders as she continued eating. "Will I get to meet the lucky guy?" I asked her.

"Oh, well I suppose so. He stays in fae most of the time, but perhaps he will come out to meet you," she said.

Ah-ha! I told myself, this was my chance to go see fae. "Or, maybe we could go to fae later this afternoon," I told Claudine quietly.

"We'll see how the afternoon plays out, if we have time, we'll go," she told me smiling. I had a huge grin on my face. It was going to be an excellent day.

After we finished lunch Claudine helped me clean up before we took up our places in the front meadow to get back to work. It was much easier this time to call on the suns power. I just thought of my precious white orb and there it was, warming my hands.

Claudine was planning on trying to help me generate a vision of the future; unfortunately it wasn't going too well. After about an hour, the closest thing I could get to a vision was seeing Claudine sneezing about 30 seconds ahead of time. This gave me hope that perhaps I would be able to generate a real vision with more practice.

We worked for another half hour, and I still hadn't had a vision. I was on the verge of giving up for the day when I saw the orb floating in front of me give off a little extra light. I looked into it and saw my great-great-great grandmother smiling back at me. _Can you help me?_ I asked her hopefully.

She smiled and nodded her head. An instant later I had a vision in my head of a strange man walking out of my woods. I looked around and saw myself sitting next to the flower beds doing some much needed weeding. Then I saw the stranger stalk up to me, and attack me. I shuddered violently as I witnessed my own murder.

The vision left and I was looking into the orb again. I nodded in understanding, it wasn't going to happen until tomorrow.

"What did you see Sookie?" Claudine asked me sounding a little anxious.

"I saw myself," I said realizing my voice was shaking slightly. I took a deep breath to steady myself and started again. "I saw myself getting murdered, by a fairy, over there," I explained to Claudine while pointing to the overgrown flower bed in front of the house.

"Do you know when?"

"Yes, tomorrow afternoon."

"I'll make sure that I'm here," Claudine was saying. As soon as she had made up her mind I got another flash of the same fairy, but instead of just killing me, he now kills Claudine as well.

"No," I said forcefully.

"Why not?"

"You get killed if you're here," I explained simply.

"Well, what about Claude, or Niall, or someone else?"

Again I got the vision, and again I was not the only one to die.

"No**. **That will not work either," I said sadly. I was unwilling to put anyone else in danger to help protect me. I focused on the vision again, and that's when I noticed that I wasn't using my newly acquired gifts. I would be able to hear the fairy coming from a long ways off if I just tapped into my new magic. The vision came back suddenly, and this time there wasn't even a fight. As soon as he was standing beside me I sunk my grandmother's old gardening trowel into the fairy's stomach. "No need to worry Claudine, I've got it under control, I know exactly what I am going to do." I was grinning now and completely at ease.

"If you say so," Claudine said. "But if anything happens to you, I will be in enormous trouble." I just had to laugh at her and shake my head. I got up and brushed the grass off my pants and pulled Claudine up to go back in the house.

"Enough lessons for today, let's go talk weddings…and baby showers," I said tugging her towards the house. We went inside and went through bridal catalogues looking at dresses and cakes and other ideas. I somewhat decided on theme for my wedding**:** whimsical, soft colors and shining crystal that would reflect the lights in all the colors of the rainbow**. **It was going to be magical! I could see it in my head, simple and elegant, yet people would think they were dreaming because of the beauty. Now I just needed to find a dress to go with the theme for both myself and my bridesmaids. But first, I was going to fae to scope out a location for the ceremony and reception. Claudine was eager to show me where she grew up, and for me to meet the father of her baby.

Claudine guided me out my back door and out into my own woods toward the back of my property. There were two great big oak trees where the branches met just overhead and formed an arch. We stood underneath them and I felt the air shimmer around us. I blinked and when I opened my eyes my breath caught in my throat.

******I know, I know....I don't describe Fae to you yet. I am still working on putting that into words but it should be ready by the new year so long as my hubby lets me have time to work on it! :) I look forward to your reviews...they are what keep my writing this story! Don't let me down, I look forward to reading your opinions! :)******


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